How to create a medical story for a new doctor

Quick Answer

• A useful medical story says what changed, when it started, what was tried, and what you need from the new doctor.
• Put dates and medicines near the top. Do not bury the most important facts under a long explanation.
• Write what you know and mark what you do not know. Missing information is better than invented certainty.
• Use AI for organization, not for diagnosis, medicine decisions, or deciding urgency.

A Simple Structure

Start with four sentences:

• What changed: I am seeing a new doctor because...
• When it started: The main issue began around...
• What was tried: I have taken or tried...
• What I need now: I want help understanding...

Then add a short timeline. MedlinePlus recommends preparing symptoms, questions, medicines, allergies, and lifestyle details before the visit. AHRQ also emphasizes asking questions and making sure you understand the answers.

What To Include

Include symptoms only as source material. Do not turn them into your own diagnosis.

• Main concern in your words.
• Dates of important events.
• Current medicines, supplements, allergies, and side effects.
• Recent reports and what the old doctor told you about them.
• What changed recently: new symptoms, abnormal results, hospital visit, pregnancy, surgery, travel, or new medicine.
• Your top three questions.

What Not To Say

Avoid opening with a long internet conclusion such as I have decided this is definitely autoimmune or AI said this is kidney failure. A safer opening is: I read about this, but I want you to review the source reports and tell me what fits.

When To Seek Urgent Help

If the story includes sudden severe symptoms, do not wait to perfect the summary. Emergency symptoms need urgent care, not a better document.

Create Your Profile

Between Doctors can turn the story, transcript, and reports into a source-linked profile for doctor discussion.