# Medical Document Literacy Worksheet

For the method in [Understand a Medical Document Without Turning It Into Medical Advice](/articles/understand-medical-documents-safely).
Work section by section. Use AI only to paraphrase language - never to interpret what a
finding means for you.

## Not for

Judging whether a result is normal, what a finding suggests about your health, or what to do
next. Those questions go to your clinician.

## The four-column worksheet

| Exact original text | Plain-language paraphrase | What's still uncertain | Question for my clinician |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |

## Abbreviations encountered

| Abbreviation | Context (surrounding sentence) | Possible meaning(s) | Confirmed by clinician? |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| | | | ☐ |
| | | | ☐ |

## Data-handling check before you paste or upload anything

- [ ] I checked whether this tool trains on uploaded files or chat content by default
- [ ] I am typing a short excerpt rather than uploading a full identifiable document, where practical
- [ ] I removed or redacted identifying details I did not need to include

## The three prompts to reuse

**1. Exact text, then paraphrase**

```text
Here is one section of a medical document: [paste the exact section].
Do not summarize or shorten it. First, repeat the exact text back to
me unchanged. Then, in a separate paragraph, paraphrase any clinical
terms or abbreviations into plain language. Do not tell me whether
anything in this section is normal, concerning, or requires action -
only translate the language.
```

**2. Turn a finding into a clinician question**

```text
Here is the exact text and its plain-language paraphrase: [paste
both]. Help me write one specific, answerable question I could ask my
clinician about this finding - something that could reasonably be
answered in a sentence or two. Do not answer the question yourself or
suggest what the likely answer is.
```

**3. Check an abbreviation for ambiguity**

```text
This document uses the abbreviation "[abbreviation]" in this context:
[paste the surrounding sentence]. What does this abbreviation
typically stand for in this kind of document? If it could plausibly
mean more than one thing in this context, say so explicitly rather
than picking one.
```

## Before your next appointment

- [ ] Every row has exact original text, not just a summary
- [ ] No paraphrase includes a judgment word like "normal," "concerning," or "fine"
- [ ] Every uncertain item has a matching clinician question
- [ ] The original document is coming with me, not just this worksheet