I used to believe in the concept of “poor historians.” (“Poor historian” is a descriptor oft used in medical lingo that refers to patients who have difficulty providing info about their medical history in a concise/ accurate manner.) these days, however, I’ve had a shift in perspective. After all, I’ve spent most of my life undergoing training in order to become an expert in the human body, and only became somewhat fluent in medical-ese in the last few years. Expecting patients to be able to speak our language and seek out answers to our desired questions is a tall order.
Nowadays, when someone is unable to answer questions about their medical history, I ask myself a few questions. First- am I asking the question in a way that makes it easy for them to understand? What clues/ hints can i give them to help jog their memory? Second- where are they coming from? Is English their first language? What’s their literacy level or educational background? Have we been handing them a bunch of documents they can’t understand? Did anyone actually explain to them what happened during that procedure/ admission / clinic visit?
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