Taking a history

Any first interview between a doctor and his patient starts with the statement of the available information: surname, first name, age, sex, marital status (семейное положение; женат / замужем / нет), occupation and present complaints (жалобы).

Note how the doctor starts the interview with the patients, for his problem:

- What’s brought you along to day?

OR:

- What seems to be the problem?

OR:

- What is ailing you?

OR:

- What can I do for you?

Note how the doctor asks how long the problem has lasted:

- How long have they been bothering you?

OR:

- How long have you had them?

Note how the doctor asks questions about the patient’s occupation:

- What’s your job?

OR:

- What do you do?

OR:

- What’s your occupation?

OR:

- What are you by profession?

Note how the doctor asks where the problem is:

- Which part of your head (of the body) is affected?

OR:

- Where does it hurt?

OR:

- Where is it sore?

OR:

- Whereabouts is the pain?

OR:

- Show me where the pain is?

Note how the doctor asks about the type of pain?

- Can you describe the pain?

Other ways of asking this are:

- What’s the pain like?

- What kind of pain is it?

Other questions the doctor may ask

1. What’s your name?

2. How old are you?

3. Are you married?

4. Where exactly is the pain?

5. Did anything special bring the pain in?

6. Is it worse at any particular time?

7. Does anything make it better or worse?

8. Have you any other problems?

9. Have you taken anything for it?

10. Did the aspirin help?

Exercise № 3

Study this short dialogue:

Doctor: Well, Mr. Below. What brought you along today?

Mr. Below: I’ve got a bad dose of flu (1).

Doctor: How long has it been bothering you?

Mr. Below: Two or three days (2)

Practise this dialogue, getting a fellow student to play the part of the patient. He (she) can select replies from lists (1) and (2) below. Use all the ways of starting an interview and asking how long the problem has lasted.

(1)	(2)
A bad dose of flu	A fortnight
Terrible diarrhoea	Two or three days
Swollen ankles	Since Tuesday
A pain in my stomach	For almost a month

Use this additional information to answer any questions the doctor asks.

1. Greasy (жирная; приготовленная на топленом жире) food, like fried eggs, upsets (нарушает, расстраивает) you most. The pain lasts several hours. [ gallbladder ]

2. The pain wakes you at night. Usually early in the morning. Spicy (пряности) food brings on the pain Too much to drink also makes it worse. [ duodenal ulcer ]

3. The pain is really bad. You’ve been coughing up brownish spit. You’ve had a temperature [ pneumonia ]

4. You’ve had a cold. You’re not coughing up phlegm [tracheitis].