Which App for What: Reminders, Diary, Records, Report
Which kind of health app for which job: reminder, symptom diary, records vault or doctor report. Where each stops and how to tell a good app.
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Which app you need depends on what you want to do: remember, keep records, file documents, or bring something useful to the doctor. Sam keeps the diary and your documents in one place, and once a doctor has confirmed your condition it turns a period into a doctor report as a PDF. Reminders in the medication list cover scheduled daily doses. Here is what each kind can do, where it stops, and when Sam is not the right choice.
What can a reminder app do?
A reminder app sets a schedule and lets you know when to take each dose. You confirm that you took it, or you mark the dose as skipped. Apple's iPhone guide covers the Medications feature in the Health app.
Where a reminder stops: it does not tell you whether one medicine suits another. That is for your doctor, pharmacist or nurse.
Sam is not the first choice if you take many medicines. Sam has a personal medication list with reminders for scheduled daily doses, and it works outside any program. Sam does not check for interactions, and it has no standalone list export: the doctor report of a program lists the medicines that belong to that program. If you want a clear view across several medicines or doctors, tracking medications across many doctors helps you sort it.
What can a diary app do?
A diary records how you feel: symptoms, values, triggers and times. Its value builds over weeks. You see whether something is piling up, and you can show that to the doctor instead of relying on memory.
Where a diary stops: it is only as good as the entries. If you are tired in the evening, you log less. Good apps keep entries short, and some add values your device already records.
In Sam, each of the eight conditions with a program has its own diary, a monthly questionnaire and its own doctor report as a PDF. Those are high blood pressure, migraine, epilepsy, panic disorder, asthma, hay fever, reflux and gout. In the migraine, epilepsy, asthma and hay fever programs, entries made today carry Apple Health values such as sleep or resting heart rate when they exist. You enter only what you know yourself. Our guide to what a health app can and cannot do looks at that boundary honestly.
What is a vault or records app for?
An app or file for health records stores documents: letters, test results and lab values. It is an archive, not a diary of how you feel.
Your providers also keep records about you. In England you can see test results shared with your GP surgery through the NHS App or the NHS website, if you are registered with a GP surgery there. Elsewhere in the UK, and in the US, ask your practice which online service it offers. Some older results, for example from before 2023, may not appear automatically. Those records belong to the provider.
The difference matters. Your own records are a separate layer: the copy of letters and results you keep yourself. The distinction between provider records and your own notes is explained in electronic health record vs health app.
Sam is not a provider record. Sam has a place for medical documents where you file letters, lab values and scans yourself. That is your own copy, kept separately from what the practice stores.
What does a useful doctor report look like?
A good doctor report sums up a period on a few pages: your course, the medicines, anything notable and your open questions. It helps because the time at an appointment is short and memory is imprecise.
Where a report stops: it does not replace a conversation. It is a basis you talk over, and it is only as complete as what you recorded before.
In Sam, a doctor report is a PDF and you choose the period: 1, 3, 6 or 12 months, or the whole record. Three months is the default. There is no shared report across several programs. Sam sends nothing to the practice; you pass on the file yourself. General preparation tips are in the doctor visit checklist for a chronic condition.
How do you recognise a decent app?
You can ask these questions of any app, including Sam:
- Can you export or print your entries, so they are not trapped in the app?
- Do your own words stay, or does the app force you into fixed fields?
- Does it say clearly who can see your data and where it is stored?
- Does it say openly what it cannot do, for example interactions?
- Is it built for your condition, or is it a bit of everything?
- Can you finish an entry in two minutes, even on a bad day?
If you choose an app for someone else, ask first what that person really wants to do every day. An app nobody opens does not help. Let that person try one entry before installing anything. If the entry feels comfortable, the app is more likely to stay in the daily routine.
Keep your diary, documents and report in one place in Sam
The diary, documents and report sit in one place in Sam, instead of across three apps. Before the appointment you open one app and take the file, rather than gathering bits together.
- Instead of loose notes: each condition with a program has its own diary with fitting fields.
- Instead of a folder of letters: you file letters, lab values and scans yourself in the medical documents.
- Instead of memory at the appointment: the doctor report sums up the period you choose, as a PDF to bring.
Limits: the medication list is personal, with no interaction check and no standalone export. Sam hosts health data in the EU. More on Sam.
Try Sam for freeSam is a wellness companion, not a medical device. The app does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition or health state. Always consult qualified professionals for medical decisions.
Related reading
- What a health app can and cannot do
- Tracking medications across many doctors
- Electronic health record vs health app
- Doctor visit checklist for a chronic condition
Sources
Updated: October 2026
- Apple Support, iPhone User Guide: Track your medications in Health on iPhone
- NHS: Access your NHS account and view your health information
- NHS: View your test results
- NHS: NHS App
More on recording and taking it along
Frequently Asked Questions
Which app do I need if I do not want to forget my tablets?+
A reminder app. It sets a schedule and lets you know when to take each dose. If you take many medicines, check how many each app allows per plan. Sam keeps a personal list with several medicines and does not check for interactions.
What is the difference between a diary app and a records app?+
A diary records how you feel: symptoms, values and triggers, day by day. A records app files documents: test results, letters and lab values. One describes your course, the other keeps what your providers have written.
Do I also need my own diary if my GP or provider has records about me?+
Yes. A provider record holds letters and test results that the service stores. It does not capture how you felt between appointments. That is exactly what a diary of your own does best.
Can Sam do all four jobs?+
Partly. Sam has a symptom diary, a place for your medical documents, and a doctor report as a PDF per program. Reminders cover your personal medication list, with a message at each scheduled dose. With many medicines or if you need an interaction check, another app may fit better.
Do I need my own report for the appointment?+
You do not, but it saves time. A page with your course, medicines and questions is easier to talk through than memory. In Sam a doctor report as a PDF is created for that.
How do I recognise a good health app?+
You can export or print your data. The app keeps your own words. You can find out who sees your data and where it is stored. The app says openly what it cannot do.
Where does Sam store data?+
Sam hosts health data in the EU.