Checklists

Supporting a Family Member With Addiction: What To Do

Practical ways to help a loved one with a substance use problem while protecting your own health.

Supporting Someone Else: What To Do

What actually helps when someone close to you is struggling with their mental health.

Surprise Medical Bills: What To Do

Unexpected bills from out-of-network providers, and the federal No Surprises Act protections that limit many of them.

Suspected Heart Attack: What To Do

Blockage of a coronary artery, cutting off blood supply to part of the heart.

Suspected Stroke: What To Do

Interruption of the blood supply to the brain, from a clot or a bleed.

Swollen Ankles: What To Do

Fluid building up in the lower legs and ankles.

Taking Medicines Correctly: What To Do

Using prescription and over-the-counter medicines as intended.

Talk Therapy: What To Do

Structured psychological treatments, also called psychotherapy, such as CBT, counseling and guided self-help.

Talking About Cancer: What To Do

Communicating with someone who has a cancer diagnosis, and knowing what helps.

Talking to Clinicians About Pain: What To Do

Communicating persistent pain in a way that leads to useful decisions.

Talking to Your Care Team: What To Do

Getting the most from appointments when you see several services.

Teen Acne: What To Do

Clogged pores, blackheads, whiteheads and pimples that become common in the teen years as hormones increase oil production.

Teen Driving Safety: What To Do

The risks new teen drivers face and the steps families can take to reduce them.

Teen Mental Health and 988: What To Do

Emotional well-being in the teen years, and how to get help, including through the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Teen Sleep: What To Do

The amount and timing of sleep teenagers need, which shifts later during puberty as the body clock changes.

Tendon Problems: What To Do

Pain and dysfunction in a tendon, commonly the Achilles, rotator cuff or elbow tendons.

Testicular Self-Checks: What To Do

Knowing what your testicles normally feel like, so that a change is noticeable.

Testosterone: What To Do

The main male sex hormone, and what genuinely raises or lowers it.

The Body Clock: What To Do

The roughly 24-hour internal rhythm that sets when you feel alert and when you feel sleepy.

The Childhood Schedule: What To Do

The routine immunizations recommended through infancy, childhood and the teen years.

The Four Steps to Food Safety: What To Do

The four core habits US food safety agencies promote at home: clean, separate, cook and chill.

The Sleep Environment: What To Do

The temperature, light, noise and bedding conditions of the room you sleep in.

Thyroid Function Tests: What To Do

Blood tests measuring TSH and thyroid hormones to assess thyroid activity.

Thyroid Lumps: What To Do

Nodules or swelling in the thyroid gland, most of which are benign.

Tinnitus: What To Do

Hearing sound that has no external source, commonly ringing or buzzing.

Tooth Decay: What To Do

Destruction of tooth structure by acid produced when bacteria ferment sugars.

Toothbrushing: What To Do

Mechanical removal of plaque with a fluoride toothpaste, twice a day.

Travel Insurance and Healthcare Abroad: What To Do

Arranging coverage for medical treatment outside the US.

Travel Vaccinations: What To Do

Immunizations recommended or required for travel to particular destinations.

Travelers' Diarrhea: What To Do

Diarrhea picked up while traveling, usually from contaminated food or water.

Traveling with Medicines: What To Do

Carrying prescription medicines abroad legally and safely.

Tuberculosis Basics: What To Do

A bacterial infection that usually affects the lungs and can stay inactive in the body (latent TB infection) or cause illness (TB disease).

Type 2 Diabetes: What To Do

A condition in which blood glucose runs persistently high because the body responds poorly to insulin and produces less of it over time.

Underactive Thyroid: What To Do

Hypothyroidism: the thyroid producing too little hormone, slowing many body processes.

Understanding eGFR: What To Do

An estimate of how much blood the kidneys filter per minute, calculated from a blood test.

Urinary Tract Infections: What To Do

Infection of the bladder or urinary tract, far more common in women than men.

Using a Nurse Line or Urgent Care: What To Do

The options between your regular doctor and the ER: after-hours lines, nurse advice lines, telehealth visits and urgent care centers.

Vaccination in Older Adults: What To Do

The vaccines recommended for older adults, and for younger adults with certain conditions.

Vaccination in Pregnancy: What To Do

The vaccines recommended during pregnancy to protect both parent and baby.

Vaccination: What To Do

Training the immune system to recognize a pathogen without having to survive the disease first.