4 Handy Apps for Your Doctor Appointments

Have you ever left a medical visit unsure of what the doctor meant? Or realized you forgot to ask an important question? Or felt scared by a diagnosis and simply stopped absorbing information?

Patients forget 40 to 80 percent of medical information they receive, according a Journal of the Royal School of Medicine study from 2003. And worse, nearly half of the information is remembered incorrectly.

This is why many doctors recommend bringing a spouse or friend along to appointments.

(MORE: 10 Things You Should Bring to Every Doctor's Appointment)

However, if you’re flying solo, there are tools to help you remember information, including a new $12 medical planner and organizer book by Dr. Leslie Collins Cole called Docrates, which provides spaces to jot down your medical history, medications, doctor appointments and medical concerns.

Below is a quick-hit guide to four helpful electronic apps for smartphones and tablets — all under $8; one is free — so you can digitally plan and record your doctor’s appointment.

Health apps are like digital file cabinets for your medical records, available at your fingertips.

Capzule PHR

What it does: Organizes medical appointments; stores documents and test results; sets reminders for taking medication; records health data on graphs

Cool feature: You can select people to share your medical information, making it useful for family caregivers.

Cost: $7.99

Devices: iPhone and iPad

(MORE: Questions to Ask Before Beginning a Treatment)

 
Doctors Appointment Reminder

What it does: Sets medical appointment reminders; records doctor visits via voice, text and photo options

Cool feature: The voice notes let you record and play voice memos.

Cost: $1.99

Devices: iPhone and iPad

 
My Medical

What it does: Charts test results; sets medical appointment reminders; stores information about medications, allergies, diagnoses, etc.

Cool feature: Its autocompletion and autosuggestion helps you spell tricky medical words and medications to better keep track of health information.

Cost: $3.99

Devices: iPhone, iPad and Android

 
Your Health Record

What it does: Sets medical appointment reminders; stores health information, including documents, reports and images

Cool feature: It tracks your medical entries, so you can analyze the progression of your disease or treatment.

Cost: Free

Devices: Android
 

Jill Yanish is the assistant editor of Next Avenue.

By Jill Yanish

Jill was formerly the associate editor for Next Avenue.  She earned a bachelor’s degree in communication from the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University and has written for various Twin Cities publications.

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