History Taking (Phase Two: Gathering Information - Part 2)

Communication Skills On-Line is part of Clinical Skills Online and was created to provide an example of a consultation demonstrating some of the objectives and skills included in the Calgary-Cambridge Guide (Silverman J, Kurtz S, Draper J. Skills for Communicating with Patients. 2005. Radcliffe Medical Press: Oxford). The video clips illustrate the different phases of a clinical interview. This consultation takes place in a hospital outpatient clinic. Systematic enquiry: This video clip illustrates a systematic enquiry, in which the doctor gathers important information about the patient's past medical history, medication history, family and social history and conducts a general systems review. Following this phase, the doctor might perform a clinical examination of the patient.