A clinical impression is your healthcare provider's professional assessment of your health condition after examining you and reviewing your symptoms and medical history. Think of it as your doctor's "working diagnosis."

These assessments help your healthcare team understand your condition, plan your treatment, and track changes over time.

Note: Only your healthcare providers can add or update clinical impressions to ensure medical accuracy.

 

Types of Assessments

Initial assessments: First evaluations for new symptoms or concerns

Follow-up assessments: Progress evaluations for ongoing conditions

Diagnostic assessments: Evaluations after test results are available

Care planning assessments: Treatment planning and prognosis evaluations

Assessment status:

  • In-progress: Still gathering information
  • Completed: Assessment is finished and documented
  • Entered-in-error: Recorded by mistake, should be ignored

 

What You'll See

Basic information:

  • Description: Why and how the assessment was performed
  • Summary: Brief overview of the provider's impression
  • Assessment date: When the evaluation was documented
  • Status: Whether it's in progress, completed, or corrected

Clinical details:

  • Problems: Current conditions and relevant allergies
  • Findings: What your provider observed during examination
  • Investigations: Tests and studies that informed the assessment
  • Prognosis: Expected outcome and recovery timeline
  • Notes: Additional comments from your provider

 

Understanding Prognosis

Prognosis categories:

  • Excellent: Full recovery expected
  • Good: Significant improvement expected with treatment
  • Fair: Some improvement possible with ongoing management
  • Guarded: Uncertain outcome, depends on various factors
  • Poor: Limited improvement expected

What affects prognosis:

  • Your overall health and other conditions
  • How well do you follow treatment recommendations
  • Whether the condition was caught early
  • Available treatment options

Remember: Prognosis is an educated prediction. Individual outcomes can vary, and assessments may change as your condition evolves.

 

How to Use This Information

Review regularly:

  • Check that you understand your provider's assessment
  • Note changes in your condition or prognosis over time
  • Review the reasoning behind treatment recommendations

Prepare for visits:

  • Review of recent assessments before appointments
  • Note questions about your provider's assessment
  • Discuss any changes in your symptoms

Share with other providers:

  • Inform new doctors about recent assessments
  • Share information during emergency visits
  • Provide assessment history to specialists

Questions to ask:

  • "Can you explain your assessment in simple terms?"
  • "What led you to this conclusion?"
  • "What can I expect going forward?"
  • "How will we monitor my progress?"
  • "When should I be concerned about changes?"

Clinical impressions help you understand your healthcare provider's professional assessment and participate actively in your care.