Report assignment 2

Name: Nguyen Phuc Bao Tam

ID: C190487
Describe open and closed questions

Answer

Open and closed questions are very important aspects of medical interview. Upon correct
usage, it could be used to obtain necessary information effectively from the patient.
Basically, open questions are questions that the patient can answer freely by themselves, for
example, “Describe how are you feeling today” or “Why are you coming here today”. It is
often used to get the chief complaint, and usually very important to define the diagnosis. In
contrast, closed questions are questions that limit the patient's answers, e.g, “What time did
the pain begin” or “Do you take any medicine?”. Usually, a patient can only answer yes or
no, or a specific answer that the interviewer requires. This type of question could be used to
get specific information, or to make the patient focus on the interview again.