Workflow: Creating a Structured Follow-Up Checklist for a Long-Term Condition

Structured reviews for long-term conditions — annual diabetes reviews, PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) follow-ups, osteoporosis monitoring — benefit from consistent checklists. This workflow helps you create a draft checklist using AI, which you then review and adapt to your local protocols.

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Step 1: Choose the Condition and Review Type

Decide which condition and review type you are creating the checklist for. Be specific. "Annual review for a patient with type 1 diabetes on insulin pump therapy" gives the AI much better guidance than simply "diabetes review".

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Step 2: List What You Currently Check

Spend two minutes writing down what you already cover in this type of appointment. You might not capture everything — that is fine. Your list is the starting point. Relevant elements might include: blood tests you request, physical assessments, complication screening, medication review, lifestyle review, patient-reported concerns, and actions for the GP.

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Step 3: Write Your AI Prompt

Open your AI tool and give it a clear instruction. For example:

"Create a structured follow-up checklist for a 6-monthly review of a patient with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome). Include sections covering: symptoms review, metabolic health, reproductive health considerations, psychological wellbeing, lifestyle, and any tests commonly considered at this interval. Present as a checklist with tick-box format. Clinical but clear language. Do not include specific drug names, doses, or treatment recommendations."

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Step 4: Review the Draft Checklist

Read through what the AI produces. For a condition like PCOS or type 1 diabetes, a well-prompted AI will produce a reasonable starting structure. Now check it critically:

• Does it match what you actually review in clinic?
• Are there items included that your service does not cover or that belong with primary care?
• Are there things missing that are important for your patient group?

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Step 5: Compare Against Your Local Guidelines

This step is important. Check your checklist draft against your department's own protocols, your integrated care board guidance (in NHS settings), or relevant national guidance. The AI checklist is a structural aid, not a clinical standard. Your local protocols take precedence.

Remove, add, or adjust checklist items until the draft reflects what your team actually does.

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Step 6: Add Patient-Facing Elements (Optional)

If you want a version of the checklist to share with patients — so they know what to expect at their review — ask the AI to produce a simplified patient-facing version:

"Rewrite the checklist above in plain language suitable for a patient. Change the clinical terms to plain English equivalents. Remove items that are clinician-only actions. Format as a short list of 'What we will cover at your appointment' bullet points."

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Step 7: Format for Your Setting

Copy the checklist into your preferred format — a Word document, a structured note template, or a printed form used in clinic. The AI output is plain text; formatting it for your specific clinical environment is something you do in your own tools.

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Step 8: Review with a Colleague (Recommended for Shared Use)

If the checklist will be used by your whole team or across a clinic, ask a colleague to review it before you adopt it. A second clinical eye helps catch anything that does not fit your local context.

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Remember: AI is a helpful assistant, not a clinician. You make the call.