Clinical history taking

Abstract

Non-medical staff are often required from their role to take a medical history from patients. The skills to do this to the level of a doctor are not taught in other fields and can lead to a limited ability to collect the knowledge required. The systematic sequence of history taking can increase any clinician's ability to make critical judgements and clinical decisions to safely treat the patient. The sequence of taking a clinical history has been established for generations of doctors but not often communicated to the wider health network. By understanding the basics and the structure will enable a non-medical clinician to take a concise history from a patient to aid in further diagnostic assessments.