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MEDICAL ENGLISH · MEDICAL ISSUES · INTERMEDIATE (B1-B2)

TAKING
PATIENT
HISTORY 2
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1 Warm up
Discuss the questions in small groups.

1. When you visit the doctor what types of questions are you asked?
2. Do you think doctor’s questions should change according to the setting (urgent care,
doctor’s surgery, during doctor’s rounds)? Why or why not?
3. If you were seeing a patient in a clinic for the first time, what information would you
need?
4. Why is it important to get a detailed patient history?

2 Vocabulary
Match the word with the definitions on the right.

1. overweight (adj.) a. the size or amount of something when compared to another

2. heart attack (n) b. too heavy

3. scale (n) c. a small tube on the lower right side of the body that has no
purpose
4. appendix (n) d. without being able to check something

5. offhand (adv.) e. a serious condition when the blood flow to the heart is
blocked
6. addicted (adj.) f. unable to stop a habit

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TAKING PATIENT HISTORY 2

Part 2: Fill in the gap with the correct word from above. Check your answers with a partner.

1. With young children, doctors often use happy and sad faces as a to measure pain.

2. The patient was complaining of pain and needed to have her removed

3. The symptoms of a are much different in men than in women.

4. Recent studies show that almost 40% of the world’s population is .

5. He could not give the exact percentages , but everything was included in the
research paper.

6. She had been taking pain medication for so long that her family thought she was .

3 Listening for general information

Listen to the dialogue and tick off the information that the doctor asks. Note that the questions are
rephrased and not word for word from the dialogue. Check your answers with a partner.

When did your shoulder pain start? How painful is it?

When did the dizziness start? Have you had any past illnesses?

Do your parents have any health issues? Does your husband have any health
problems?
How old are your children? How is your diet?

Do you exercise? How much alcohol do you drink each week?

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4 Listening for comprehension

Listen again to the dialogue and answer the questions. Check your answers with a partner.

1. What are Mrs Reese’s health issues?

2. How long has she had the pain?

3. How does she rate her pain?

4. How long has she had dizziness?

5. What allergies does Mrs Reese have?

6. What happened to Mrs Reese’s mother?

7. What happened to her father?

8. What condition does her brother have?

9. What are some of Mrs Reese’s diet issues?

10. When did Mrs Reese quit smoking?

11. What does Dr Ford do after taking her history?

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5 Vocabulary

Match the word with the definitions on the right. Check your answers with a partner.

1. open-ended (adj) a. words or expressions used in a particular subject

2. investigation (n) b. without limits

3. terminology (n) c. close scientific study of facts of a problem

4. outline (n) d. description of main facts

5. medication (n) e. a drug taken to treat an illness

II

1. cue (n) a. signal

2. facial (adj) b. brother or sister

3. characteristic (n) c. having a baby developing inside one’s body

4. pregnant (adj) d. a feature or quality someone/something has

5. sibling (n) e. referring to the face

Fill in the gaps with a word from above. Check your answers with a partner. There is one word that
is not used.

1. The scientists did an to find out why the new treatment was not a success.

2. In many professions, there is particular that is used by people in the same profession.

3. He presented an of the best method to use for the patient’s recovery.

4. The patient had a wound as a result of the accident.

5. Many types of can now be bought online.

6. He gave a to the audience that his presentation was about to start.

7. The doctors had an discussion about the patients who needed special care.

8. She has not been feeling very well the past few weeks because she is for the first
time.

9. Strong communication is a of a good leader.

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6 Reading for general information

Scan the text and match the statement with the main idea for each paragraph. Check your answers
with a partner.

a. Social life

b. Importance of asking questions

c. Other cues

d. Present problem

e. Past history

f. Introductions and question types

7 Reading for comprehension

Read the text again and answer the questions. Check your answers with a partner.

1. What are some skills that a doctor needs?

2. What do some medical schools focus on?

3. What should doctors do when they first meet a patient?

4. What should a doctor avoid doing?

5. What should a doctor find out about the present problem?

6. What should the past patient history focus on?

7. What type of information is included in the social and work life questions?

8. What non-verbal cues should a doctor look for?

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TAKING PATIENT HISTORY 2

Getting a detailed patient history

How to improve communication

1. A skilled doctor needs not only
knowledge of medicine and
investigations, but also needs
strong communication skills. In
order to assess patients, doctors
must ask questions. These
form the basis of understanding
the problem or reason that
a patient is visiting a health
professional. Because of the
important relationship between
a doctor and patient, many
medical schools now focus on
helping students gain a better
idea of how to get to know
patients and how to ask the right
questions.
2. In order to find the right
diagnosis for a patient, the
first step is obtaining a detailed
history. Getting the information
in the patient’s own words is
key. The patient should be
comfortable with the doctor so
they can speak openly about
their concerns and problems.
Doctors should introduce
themselves to the patient and
ask a general question such as
"How can I help you today?" or
"What can I do for you today?".
These open-ended questions
help the patient to relax and give
their view of the problem.
3. The patient will describe
the present problem. It is
important that the doctor avoids
using medical terminology or
vocabulary that is unfamiliar
to the patient. The doctor’s
goal is to find out how long the
patient has had the condition
or problem, the location, any
characteristics, such as pain
level or other symptoms, and if
the condition has changed from
when the patient first noticed it.
4. Once the present problem has
been outlined, the next step is
to get a past history of diseases 6.
and conditions. These questions
will focus on past surgeries,
medical conditions, medications,
and allergies. The patient should
also be asked about smoking
and alcohol use. Female patients
should be asked about the
number of children and if they
had any problems while they
were pregnant. This section
will include questions about the
patient’s family such as parents,
siblings, and children. Certain
diseases may be genetic so it is
necessary to find out about the
health of close relatives.
5. Another area that is important 7.
to look at is the patient’s social
and work life. What type of
work does this individual do?
Is it a physical job or does it
require a lot of sitting? It
is beneficial to find out about
hobbies and other activities the
patient may be involved in. Is
the patient active in sport and
getting exercise? How about
food? Eating and exercise habits
may give information about the
individual. Does the patient live
alone? How is the patient’s
living situation? This type of
information may be useful to get
an idea of any mental issues.
A skilled doctor knows
that listening also involves
understanding non-verbal cues.
Look at facial expressions
and the body language of the
patient. These can also help
give an understanding of the
patient. Do they look worried?
Are they uncomfortable? Finally,
after taking a detailed patient
history, the next step is making
a diagnosis or ordering further
tests to find out the problem.
The more practice doctors get
with interviewing patients, the
better they become at asking
the right questions.
Source: patient.info,
meded.ucsd.edu, onthewards.org,
medistudents.com

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8 Grammar point

You are going to look at some different ways to ask open-ended questions. This means you will make
questions that require more than one-word answers. Wh-questions are used for this purpose. (who,
what, why, where, when, which, how).

Look at the examples below taken from the listening and reading.

Finding out about the problem

• How would you describe your problem?
• When did the pain start pain?

Getting the patient’s history

• How about your parent’s health?
• How is your diet?
• What types of exercise do you do?
• How would you describe your home life?

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TAKING PATIENT HISTORY 2

Now, imagine that you are a doctor talking to a patient. Write wh-questions to get the following
information from the patient. Do not use the examples above. Check your answers with a partner.

9 Talking point
In pairs, one of you will be the doctor and the other the patient. Role play a short dialogue. Remember
the doctor should greet the patient and ask for detailed patient history. Change roles for scenario 2.

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10 Optional extension

Choose one of the topics below and write a 100-word paragraph. Give examples to support your
work.

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