What should I prepare for my first doctor visit? How can a family member help as a companion?
For a first doctor visit, you can bring your identity document, any referral letter, previous test reports and images, a list of your current medicines and insurance details. Family members can help organise information and note questions; an adult patient can authorise a family member in writing to request their personal data, and a parent can request it for a child under 18 (Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, FAQ, June 2016); carers registered in HA Go cannot apply for medical reports for their parents or children (Hospital Authority, July 2026).
What should I bring to my first doctor visit?
You can bring your identity document, a referral letter (if any), previous test reports and images, a list of the medicines you are taking or your medicine bags, and your insurance card or pre-approval documents; the Department of Health reminds patients to let the doctor know which medicines they are taking when they see a doctor. For what each item is for, see What to prepare before a specialist appointment.
How can a family member help as a companion?
Compiled by this site: family members can sort reports, image discs and medicines by date in advance, write down the questions they want to ask, and note the doctor's explanation and the next steps during the visit.
Examples of questions to ask: What do the results of this test or report mean? What needs to be done next, who will arrange it, and roughly when? How long is the wait, and whom can I contact if the condition changes in the meantime? What are the fees, and what subsidies are available?
Tests and treatment for an individual patient are decided by the treating doctor according to the condition.
Can a family member collect reports or medical records on the patient's behalf?
A patient can authorise another person in writing to make a data access request on their behalf, and the data user can ask the authorised person for proof of the patient's identity and the authorisation; the data user must generally comply within 40 days of receiving the request (Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, FAQ, June 2016). For a minor under 18, the request can be made by a person with parental responsibility for the minor; for a person incapable of managing their own affairs, it can be made by a person appointed by the court or a guardian.
For privacy reasons, carers registered in HA Go cannot apply for medical reports on behalf of their parents or children (Hospital Authority, July 2026); Precious Blood Hospital (Caritas) states that applications for medical records on behalf of a patient must include an authorisation signed by the patient. For application procedures and fees, see How to prepare for a second opinion.
How can eHealth help family members?
Parents can register children under 16 through the ‘My Family’ function of the eHealth App; an eligible substitute decision maker can also register a child under 16, or a family member aged 16 or above who is incapable of giving consent. For registration and sharing consent, see eHealth registration.
Frequently asked questions
What should a family member ask when accompanying a relative to a first doctor visit?
Compiled by Book a Doctor: you can ask what the results mean this time, what needs to be done next and who will arrange it, how long the wait is and whom to contact if the condition changes in the meantime, and what the fees and available subsidies are.
Can a family member apply for a medical report on the patient's behalf?
Medical reports are applied for under each hospital's procedure; for example, Precious Blood Hospital (Caritas) requires an authorisation signed by the patient when applying on the patient's behalf; carers registered in HA Go cannot apply through HA Go for medical reports on behalf of their parents or children (Hospital Authority, July 2026). Requesting copies of medical records is a data access request, which the patient can authorise another person in writing to make.