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The medical history of a by asking specific questions, either of the patient or of other people who know the person and can give suitable information (in this case, it is sometimes called '''heteroanamnesis'''). This kind of information is called the Symptom s, in contrast with Clinical Signs , which are ascertained by direct examination. A physician typically asks questions to obtain the following information about the patient:
The information obtained in this way, together with Clinical Examination , enables the physician to form a Diagnosis and Treatment Plan . If a diagnosis cannot be made then a provisional diagnosis may be formulated, and other possibilties (the Differential Diagnosis ) may be added, by convention listed in order of likelihood. The treatment plan may then include further investigations to try and clarify the diagnosis. It may be ''comprehensive history taking'' (as practised only by the young medical students) or ''iterative hypothesis testing'' (as practised as ''rule of thumb'' by busy clinicians). Computer ised history-taking could be an integral part of Clinical Decision Support System s. SEE ALSO |
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