Dr. Black's "How To" Guides

How to Interpret Prescriptions

It's all Greek to me! Well, Latin actually. Did you know that handwritten prescriptions are written with abbreviations from Latin?  Watch for useful information on understanding your Rx.

How To Reconcile Medications

REC·ON·CILE means to restore friendly relations between; cause to coexist in harmony; make one consistent with another. There are no guarantees that one medication is friendly with another, but your chances are better if your medication list is properly reconciled.

Why Med Reconciliation

The hair raising story of Mr. Green's encounters of the med reconcilation kind will have you on the edge of your seat! Take home message: please please please bring your pill bottles to every medical visit. Here's why. 

Documenting a
​Complete Medical History (H&P)

Have you ever met a care provider who spent more time looking at a the computer screen than you? What on earth are they typing in there?  Well, now you know. Here, a history and physical primer for first year medical students and inquiring minds.

Medical SOAP Notes

Sometimes, you just want the cliff notes. For a quick follow up appointment of an established patient, all you need is SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment and Plan).

Hospital Records

A group of geese is called a gaggle, A group of hospital H&Ps and SOAP notes is called a Hospital Record. Here is how the hospital record is put together.  When you leave the hospital, request a copy of the admit history & physical, the lab and imaging reports, and the discharge summary be faxed to your PCP.

Labs: How to Read a CBC

It has been said that the eyes are the window to the soul, but a complete blood count (CBC) is the next best thing. A snapshot of your red cells, white cells and platelets, here is a primer on what a CBC tells you.

Labs: How to Read a CMP

While you were sleeping, your kidneys and liver were busy metabolizing.  The complete metabolic panel is like a report card of how well they are doing. A little knowledge about kidney function (creatinine) and liver function (AST, ALT) goes a long way on the path to good health. 

Coming Soon!