Advanced Medical English -Assignment 2: The Medical interview

OCTOR: Good morning, my name is Chrysiida Delimitrou and I am a medical student. How may I
address you?
ATIENT: Oh, you can call me Mrs.T.
OCTOR: Mrs.T, I will be working with you this morning. I would like to ask you a few questions, about
your medical history and report back to my senior doctor, Dr K. It’s part of our training
process as medical students to take patients’ medical history . Dr K will be seeing you
afterwards. Is that alright with you?
ATIENT: Yes, of course that would be alright.
OCTOR: Thank you very much Mrs.T . Now, could you please tell me what is the reason you came in
to see a doctor today?
ATIENT: Well, there are several reasons…But the main reason would be this pain in my chest. It really
worries me.
OCTOR: Alright Mrs.T ,before going on to talk a bit more about your chest pain, is there anything else
you’d like to talk to me about?
ATIENT: Yes , apart from the chest pain I also feel that I’ve been having difficulty breathing lately and I
also cough more frequently than I usually do .
OCTOR: So ,first of all, tell me more about the chest pain…Uh,for example where do you feel it? Does
it come and go? Talk to me please.
ATIENT: It is a constant pain and I feel it over here (shows 7 th-8th intercostal spaces) and I have had it
for about two weeks now .Sometimes at night it gets so bad that I cannot fall asleep. It really
bothers me.There’s nothing I can do to make it go away, not even when I lie down
OCTOR: Can you please describe the quality of the pain? For example,- is it a throbbing sort of pain or
is it a burning sensation?
ATIENT: No, I wouldn’t say that. It’s a very intense sort of pain and it’s there all the time. It doesn’t
ever go away, not even when I rest or lie down.
OCTOR: Were you doing something that may have caused the pain at the time it started?
ATIENT: Not really. I wouldn’t relate the pain with a certain activity …
OCTOR: On a severity scale of 1 to 10 , with 10 being the worst pain you have ever experienced, how
would you rate this chest pain?
ATIENT: I would say an 8 maybe, although sometimes it acts up to a 9.
OCTOR: Have you taken anything for the pain and has it helped?
ATIENT: Yes, I did take some over the counter painkillers,paracetamol.It didn’t help much.
OCTOR: Alright Mrs. T ,at this point I would like to summarize all the information about the chest pain
, just to make sure I didn’t miss out on anything . Please let me know if I make any mistakes
and you are welcome to add in on any information if needed.So,about your chest pain…
You’ve mentioned that it started 2 weeks ago and it is located in the area of your 7 th-8th
intercostal space. It is a constant pain of great severity. It doesn’t get better with rest or any
other maneuver and painkillers don’t seem to help. You also said that at times you have
trouble sleeping because of the intensity of the pain. Is there anything else you’d like to add
to this?
ATIENT: No, that is about it.
OCTOR: Ok, so now I would like to ask you a few more questions that will help with the diagnosis.
Alright?
ATIENT: Sure, no problem
OCTOR: Mrs.T, have you experienced any fever in the past few weeks or have you felt any excessive
sweating during the night in your sleep?
ATIENT: I haven’t noticed a high temperature , but now that you’ve mentioned it I have woken up at
night several times ,feeling really sweaty and shaky.
OCTOR: I see…And Have you lost any weight in the past 6 months?
ATIENT: Oh, yes definitely. I have lost a lot of weight. I’ve become very skinny and I feel weak and
tired all the time.
OCTOR: Very well Mrs.T, I would also like to talk about the fact that you’ve been having difficulty
breathing. Could you please expand a bit more on that ?
ATIENT: Yes, of course. Well ,I would say it started quite a few months back, I am not quite sure, but
it’s been in the last year or so. Now, it’s become much worse. Sometimes even of I am seated
or resting I find it hard to breathe.
OCTOR: And what about your cough? Do you cough up anything?
ATIENT: I’ve had a cough for many years now. It’s because of my smoking. In the past few months it
has deteriorated . What I mean is that I cough more frequently and not only in the morning
like I used to. I don’t cough up anything like blood, if that’s what you mean. It’s more of a dry
cough. Although ,when I cough too much sometimes I have a “pinkish” sort of sputum.
OCTOR: Alright Mrs.T, now I would like to go over the review of systems just to make sure we didn’t
miss anything important. Please let me know if you’ve had or are having now any problems
with the following…

(ROS was normal, no specific findings)

OCTOR: In order to complete your medical history there are a few more questions that I’d like to ask
you…Are you on any medication for any reason?
ATIENT: No, I don’t take any medication on a regular basis ,just the occasional painkillers. That’s
about 2 pills when in pain.
OCTOR: When was the last time you saw a doctor?
ATIENT: I haven’t been to the doctor in a very long time. I have even neglected my annual
gynecological check up for the past 3 years. I just don’t like going to the doctor unless there is
a serious reason.
OCTOR: And have you ever been admitted to hospital for any reason? Any surgical operations you
have underwent?
ATIENT: No, I have never been admitted to hospital except for when I was in labor. I haven’t had any
operations and I gave birth to both my children naturally.
OCTOR: Any allergies known to you?
ATIENT: Yes , I am allergic to penicillin.
OCTOR: Are there an hereditary diseases in the family?
ATIENT: No, there aren’t any.
OCTOR: And are your parents alive?
ATIENT: No ,they both passed away. My mother passed away at 59 of breast cancer and my father
passed away at 76 because of his heart failure.
OCTOR: Very well Mrs.T . Now that we have talked about your medical history I would like to go on to
talk about your social history. This will help me to have a better picture of your health
situation and with the diagnosis. So, I would like to ask you a few questions, some may be
personal, but all the information will remain between us and Dr.K. You are free not to answer
any question if it makes you feel uncomfortable. So, shall we continue?
ATIENT: Yes,I don’t mind.
OCTOR: Mrs.T are there any habits in your life that you think may have a negative impact in your
health situation?
ATIENT: Well ,I suppose smoking doesn’t make things better…I used to smoke a lot,2 packs a day since
I was in my 20’s.I have certainly reduced that amount to about a pack in the last year.
OCTOR: And why is that?
ATIENT: Well, because of my cough and this shortness of breath I get sometimes.
OCTOR: Alright, do you consume any alcohol? Any recreational drugs?
ATIENT: No no.I don’t do those kinds of things and I have never tried them in my life. I don’t drink too
much alcohol either. You know, just in a special occasion, once in a blue moon.
OCTOR: How is your diet? Would you consider it healthy?
ATIENT: No,not really.I skip meals a lot. I know I should be eating more.
OCTOR: Alright Mrs.T , It says here in your folder that you are retired at the moment. What was your
occupation before that?
ATIENT: I used to work as an editor for a local newspaper.
OCTOR: That’s great! I have asked all there is do be asked, so we are done for now .Is there anything
that you would like to share with me?Anythikg you’d like to ask me perhaps?
ATIENT: No,I can’t think of anything important right now..
OCTOR: Alright then,thank you very much Mrs.T .That will be all for now .Dr .K will be seeing you
afterwards for your physical examination . Have a nice day.
ATIENT: And thank you! Alright I will be in the waiting room.Good day to you too!