Printable form
Symptom diary
When you finally see a clinician about a cough that will not go away, a fever that keeps returning or a symptom that comes and goes, one of the first questions is usually when it started and how it has changed. Memory is unreliable on exactly those points. This one-page diary gives you a row per day to write down what happened, in a few words, so you can hand over a clear record instead of guessing. Print it, keep it where you will see it, and fill in a row each evening.
| Day | Date | Main symptom and where (in your own words) | When it happened and how long it lasted | Temperature, if you took it (and how) | What you ate, drank, did or took (as usual) | Anything else that day (sleep, stress, travel, contact with sick people) |
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This page stores nothing. It is a blank form for you to print and fill in by hand, so no personal health details are entered on the site. Write down medicines only as you normally take them, and never change a medicine because of what the diary shows.
How to fill it in
- Describe the symptom in plain words rather than guessing at a name. "Dry cough, worse at night" is more useful to a clinician than "bronchitis".
- Note timing: the time of day, how long an episode lasted, and whether it comes in waves.
- If you take your temperature, write the number, the unit and where you took it (mouth, ear, under the arm), and use the same thermometer each time.
- Record what you did about it, such as rest, fluids or a medicine you already use at its usual dose, and whether it seemed to change anything.
- Use the last column for context: poor sleep, a stressful week, travel, a new medicine or someone at home who is ill can all matter.
- If you miss a day, leave it blank. A rough record is still more useful than none.
How to use it with a clinician
Take the page to the appointment, or photograph it and keep the photo ready. Open with one sentence: what the main problem is and when it began. Then point to anything that stood out, such as a fever on several days, a symptom that is spreading or getting worse, or something that wakes you at night. Add the questions you want answered; the questions checklist can help you write them. The diary supports the conversation. It does not replace it, and it does not tell you whether you need one.
When not to wait
A diary is for symptoms you are watching over days, not for emergencies. The emergency warning signs reference restates the signs that public health bodies say need an emergency call straight away. For general background on common timelines, read our guides on when to see a doctor for a fever and on how to tell if a cough is lingering too long.
What the diary cannot do
It cannot diagnose, tell you how serious a symptom is, or decide when you should be seen. It has no points, no thresholds and no traffic-light result on purpose. Those judgments need a person who can examine you and ask follow-up questions. If you are unsure, contact a clinician, a pharmacist, or your local nurse advice line, and call the emergency number if you think it is an emergency.
Where this comes from
Writing down when symptoms began, how they changed, what you tried and what medicines you take before an appointment is widely given as general patient advice, and clinicians routinely ask exactly these questions. The columns follow those usual questions; no single body's form was copied. The layout is original to this page and is not a clinical instrument.