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Creating a Medical Summary

pediatric patient transitioning to young adult

A medical summary is a document you can create to quickly inform a new doctor. It's also incredibly useful to have in an emergency. As part of transitioning from pediatric to adult care, we encourage all patients to create one of these documents.

One of the first questions people have is what information does and doesn't belong in a medical summary. We recommend including answers to the following questions in your document. 

Basic Information 

  • What name do you go by? 
  • When were you born? 
  • Where do you live? 
  • Do you have a legal guardian or someone with power of attorney? 

Current Medical Information

  • Do you have any ongoing conditions? 
  • Can you describe what care your medical conditions require? 
  • Have there been any complications associated with your condition? 
  • Are there any unusual test results your new doctor should know about? 
  • Are there limits your doctor should know about? 
  • What other doctors are you seeing? 

Current Treatment Information 

  • What medications are you taking (dose, frequency, and purpose)
  • Do you need any medical supplies? 
  • Are there medical devices your provider should know about? 

Treatment History

  • Have you ever had any surgeries? 
  • Have you had any overnight hospital stays related to your medical conditions? 
  • Did you ever need a longer hospital stay for treatment? 

Family History

  • What conditions run in your family? 
  • Has anyone in your family ever had genetic testing done? 

Insurance Information

  • What is the name and type of insurance you have?