History Taking and Interview Techniques

Interview Techniques

• Greet the patient by name and introduce yourself
• Use a title to address the patient
• Greet also the other visitors in the room and inquire their name and relationship to the patient
• Let the patient decide who will remain in the room

Interview Techniques

The patient must be in a comfortable position

during the conversation!

Ask the patient the reason for seeking health

care

Ask open-ended questions

For example: What concerns bring you here today?

Inquire again anything else?

Interview Techniques

• You may ask the patient which problem is the most pressing
• For all symptoms understand their essential characteristics
• Establish the sequence and the time course of the symptoms

Comprehensive Adult Health History

History of present illness

• Location
• Quality
• Quantity or severity
• Timing including onset, duration and frequency
• The setting in which they occur
• Relieving or aggravating factors
• Associated manifestations

Interview Techniques

Facilitating the story

• Listen actively
• Ask open ended questions
• Ask one question at a time!
• If the patient is unable to describe the symptoms, you can offer multiple-choice answers
• Clarify what the patient means

Interview Techniques

Facilitating the story

• Nonverbal communication (for example moving closer and engaging in physical contact)
• Echoing
• Identify the feelings of the patient, give empathic responses

Interview Techniques

Facilitating the story

• Do not say ‘do not worry, everything is going to be alright’
• Give a capsule summary of the patient’s story in the course of the interview
• Highlighting transitions

Interview Techniques

Go beyond the attributes of a symptom and

learn about the perception of the patient

Create a complete picture of the problem

Planning further evaluation

Interview Techniques

You generate hypotheses during the

conversation about what disease process might

be the cause

Interview Techniques

• Ending the interview is sometimes difficult
• While closing review the future evaluation, treatments and follow-up

Conclusion

• The interview to obtain a medical history is still important in the era of high tech medicine..
• It is the beginning of the diagnostic and therapeutic process..
• Formulates the patient’s symptoms into a differential diagnosis
• The physician must understand an individual patient with an illness

Conclusion

• Encourage the patient to tell his/her story in his/her own manner
• But direct the interview
• The amount of direction vary from patient to patient
• The well taken history should be recorded in the patient’s chart in a functional way