[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Clinical exam](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/) › History taking and the interview # History taking and the interview How to interview and what goes in each part of the clinical history. 17 pages ## Topic - [**Analysing a symptom: onset, site, character, radiation and more** Every symptom is described with the same attributes so another clinician understands exactly…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/analysing-a-symptom-onset-site-character-radiation-and-more/) - [**Clinical simulation and the OSCE: practising the examination** Practising history taking and examination on actors, manikins and models before real patients…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/clinical-simulation-and-the-osce-practising-the-examination/) - [**From findings to diagnosis: problem list, differential and SOAP note** Clinical reasoning puts together what the patient tells and what is found to reach the most…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/from-findings-to-diagnosis-problem-list-differential-and-soap-note/) - [**Health-related quality of life: what it measures and how it is used** How illness and treatment change the way a person feels and lives, measured with the patient's…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/health-related-quality-of-life-what-it-measures-and-how-it-is-used/) - [**Interviewing in special situations: interpreters and breaking bad news** Speaking through an interpreter or breaking bad news takes preparation, plain language and…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/interviewing-in-special-situations-interpreters-and-breaking-bad-news/) - [**Nursing assessment: head-to-toe and focused assessment** Nursing assessment is the first stage of the nursing process: gathering data about the patient…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/nursing-assessment-head-to-toe-and-focused-assessment/) - [**The periodic health examination: what to check and screen at each age** The check-up of a person without symptoms: what is asked, measured and screened at each stage of…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/the-periodic-health-examination-what-to-check-and-screen-at-each-age/) ## History - [**Background history by system: what to ask organ by organ** The past illnesses, exposures and family history that matter most when the problem is in the…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/background-history-by-system-what-to-ask-organ-by-organ/) - [**Chief complaint and history of present illness** The chief complaint is the reason for the visit in the patient's words; the present illness is…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/chief-complaint-and-history-of-present-illness/) - [**Comprehensive geriatric assessment: function, cognition, falls** In an older person diseases are not enough: what they can do alone, memory, mood, nutrition and…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/comprehensive-geriatric-assessment-function-cognition-falls/) - [**Gynecologic and obstetric history** The gynaecologic and obstetric history covers a woman's menstrual history, pregnancies…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/gynecologic-and-obstetric-history/) - [**Medicines, allergies and habits: tobacco, alcohol and other substances** Knowing a patient's medicines, allergies and use of tobacco, alcohol or other substances…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/medicines-allergies-and-habits-tobacco-alcohol-and-other-substances/) - [**Past medical, surgical, family and social history** The past history gathers the patient's illnesses, operations and habits and the family's…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/past-medical-surgical-family-and-social-history/) - [**Pediatric history: perinatal, growth, development and vaccines** A child's history adds questions about pregnancy, birth, feeding, growth, development and…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/pediatric-history-perinatal-growth-development-and-vaccines/) - [**Review of systems** The review of systems is a quick head-to-toe check for symptoms the patient did not mention](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/review-of-systems/) - [**The clinical history: its parts and their order** The clinical history is the ordered record of what the patient tells, what the examiner finds…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/the-clinical-history-its-parts-and-their-order/) - [**The medical interview: rapport, open questions and listening** The interview is the conversation in which the clinician gets to know the patient and the…](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/the-medical-interview-rapport-open-questions-and-listening/) ## A to Z - [A](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/a/) - [B](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/b/) - [C](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/c/) - [D](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/d/) - [E](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/e/) - [F](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/f/) - [G](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/g/) - [H](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/h/) - [I](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/i/) - [J](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/j/) - [K](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/k/) - [L](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/l/) - [M](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/m/) - [N](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/n/) - [O](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/o/) - [P](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/p/) - [R](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/r/) - [S](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/s/) - [T](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/t/) - [U](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/u/) - [V](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/v/) - [W](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/a-z/w/) [← Clinical examination](https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/) Educational content on the clinical exam; it is learned and practised under supervision. It does not replace assessment by a health professional and is not for self-diagnosis. Representative model, for educational purposes only. --- Source: https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/areas/history/ License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/clinical-exam/areas/history/