Preparing medical records before contacting a healthcare Provider

Write the purpose of the contact in one or two sentences: a general service question, a cost question, preparation for a case review, or an appointment request. Keep this purpose beside your record list so you can ask which information is relevant to it.

For each existing record, note its title or description, issuing source, date and language where known. Put related records in a readable order. Mark missing or uncertain details for clarification; do not fill them with guesses or interpret the results yourself.

Keep the original files available and check that their pages can be read. Ask the recipient which file formats and languages it can use and whether a translation is needed. Keep any translation distinguishable from the original. The actual recipient’s requirements determine what you should provide.

Ask: Which existing records do you need for this question? Is anything else needed, and who should explain that requirement? Do not arrange a new test or change care because it appears in a general preparation checklist; clinical requirements belong with the Provider or treating clinician.

Before sending, check which patient the files concern, which Provider will receive them and which question they support. Select relevant materials intentionally. If you are helping someone else, clarify the patient’s wishes and the permission needed for the actual task.

Ask which records should be available for the visit itself, and keep the answer with the appointment information. For a ShifaTH upload or delivery problem, use the relevant signed-in Help path; the guide’s preparation list is not an upload specification or a clinical record review.