The Focused History and Physical Examination

Chapter 26


The Focused History and Physical Examination




All we know is still infinitely less than all that still remains unknown.


William Harvey (1578–1657)



General Considerations


The focused history and physical examination constitute a modality that is important to master to explore a patient’s needs and to educate the patient within a short period. It is a great skill and takes time to master. Only after becoming comfortable and confident with the complete history and physical examination can the clinician master the focused history and physical examination, because it relies on extracting the components that are most relevant.


It would be wonderful if clinicians were able to spend 45 minutes to 1 hour with each new patient, but time restraints generally allow the health care provider only about 10 to 15 minutes for each new patient encounter at most. Thus, taking a focused history and performing a focused physical examination are critical skills. It is extremely important to learn to become focused and efficient in documenting a medical history and in performing the physical examination, even though most medical schools do not teach these focused clinical skills.


Always start with open-ended questions and determine why the patient sought medical attention today. At some point in the interview, it would be helpful to ask the patient, “What do you think is going on?” There may be conflict or hidden anxiety, and this question may help the patient to open up to the actual problem. Let the patient speak without interruption, if possible. Always avoid leading or biased questions.


The focused history and physical examination is a complex activity comprising several different skills. It is, however, difficult to teach. Scientific knowledge must be integrated with excellent communication and hypothetical-deductive reasoning to produce a series of pertinent questions about the health of the patient.


As discussed in Chapter 24, Diagnostic Reasoning in Physical Diagnosis, most of the time, the diagnosis is not clear-cut; the history is often not that of a 70-year-old man with a history of hypertension and hypercholesterolemia who presents with crushing chest pain, or that of a 43-year-old obese woman who presents with severe right upper quadrant pain radiating to her right shoulder and nausea. In most cases, there exists uncertainty as to the diagnosis, and the health-care provider must assess the relative chance that the patient is or is not suffering from a particular medical problem. There are elements of uncertainty in almost every case you will see.


Despite the technology of the twenty-first century, physicians still must use their judgment when making clinical decisions. The hard part of practicing medicine lies in knowing when it is acceptable to be cost conscious with the use of further testing and when this technology must be used. Codifying the way in which health care providers logically approach medical problems and deal with uncertainty is a difficult task. Good medicine is playing the odds after having obtained the important data. The focused history starts with uncovering the major details of the current medical problem or the reason the patient has sought medical attention at this time.


In documenting a focused history and performing a focused physical examination, you need to explore the chief complaint, the history of the present illness, the past medical history, medications and allergies, the family history and social history, the occupational history, and the sexual history that are relevant to that specific patient. It is important to recognize that focused does not mean making one diagnosis and skipping the differential diagnosis. In the focused physical examination, you need to examine specifically the body part or system directly involved with the medical problem when there is no time to perform a head-to-toe examination. Remember, however, that other organ systems may need to be evaluated as well. A patient with chest pain requires a full cardiac examination, in addition to examination of the legs for peripheral pulses and edema, carotid artery auscultation and palpation, evaluation of liver size, and evaluation of the retina for related vascular changes.


After your clinical evaluation, tests should be obtained only to corroborate your clinical impression or if the result will in some way affect your decision-making. Remember that common things are common. Uncommon symptoms are more likely to represent an uncommon manifestation associated with a common condition than with a totally uncommon illness.



Illustrative Case



The History of Mr. Roger Stern


Now consider as an example the case of Mr. Roger Stern. Mr. Stern is a 29-year-old man who has come to the emergency room with a chief complaint of “diarrhea and abdominal pain.” What possible diagnoses are you thinking about? What pathologic conditions may be involved? Acute problems? Chronic problems? Some possibilities include genetic disorders, infectious diseases, diseases of immunity, neoplastic diseases, environmental problems, nutritional pathologic processes, vascular disorders, or traumatic conditions (Video 26-1).


Now try to narrow down the possible diagnoses by starting the interview:



Where is the pain in your abdomen?


Right here (pointing to his lower abdomen).


How long have you been having the abdominal pain?


I have been having diarrhea and abdominal pain for the past 3 months.


What was the reason you came in today?


I saw some blood mixed in the stools, and I got very scared.


I can understand your concern. I am glad you came in today. We will do everything possible to help you. Can you describe the pain?


It’s crampy and comes in waves. I also have this bloating sensation in my abdomen all the time. It’s as if gas is always there.


What makes the pain better?


It’s hard to say … not much.


What makes it worse?


I don’t really know … perhaps anxiety?


Has there been a change in your life that has created more anxiety?


I guess my job has been rather stressful. I don’t get along well with my bosses.


What type of work do you do?’


I am a legal assistant.


On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst, how would you describe the pain?


I guess the pain is about 5 to 7.


How does the pain affect your lifestyle?


I do go to work, but it’s tough getting up all the time to go to the bathroom and making excuses.


When you have the pain in your abdomen, do you have pain in any other area of your body at the same time?


No, I don’t think so.


Have you noticed that the pain is worse when you’re hungry or after meals?


No, it just comes and goes and is not related to eating.


Now let’s talk about the diarrhea. Can you describe it for me?


The stool is very loose and sometimes watery. And today there was blood in it.


Was there blood in the toilet bowl?


No. It was kind of wrapped with the stool.


How many times did you see blood with your stool?


Three times!


Is there mucus in the stool?


Yes, often. It’s kind of stringy.


Is the stool formed?


Not really.


About how many bowel movements do you have a day?


About 8 to 10 for the past week.


Does the stool float?


No.


Does it smell strange?’


No. [pause] Doc, do you think I have cancer?


Mr. Stern, it’s really too early to say. I need to ask you some more questions, perform a physical examination, and do some other tests. When we have all the tests back, I will be in a better position to advise you. At this time, however, there are many things that it could be. Let me ask you a few more questions. Have you had a fever?


No. I don’t think so.


Have you noticed that milk or milk products make the diarrhea worse?


No.


Have you noticed that wheat, oat, barley, or rye products make the diarrhea worse?


No. I love bread and wheat products. They don’t seem to make things worse.


Do you drink alcohol?


Not really. Maybe one beer over the weekend at most.


Have you had abdominal pain in the past?


I first noticed abdominal pain with watery diarrhea about 15 months ago.


What happened then?


I was traveling with a friend to Central America.


Did you see a doctor?


No.


Did you take any medications?


My friend gave me some Pepto-Bismol and Imodium for the pain and diarrhea.


Did it help you?


The pain persisted on and off for about 3 weeks and then disappeared.


Do you take other medications?


No. I have been in good health otherwise. I have no other problems.


Have you had other episodes of abdominal pain?


The pain and diarrhea returned about 3 months ago, but the diarrhea was no longer watery. The stool was just very loose.


Have you seen any doctor about this problem?


Yes, I saw a local doc about 3 weeks ago who gave me some antibiotic for it.


Do you remember the name of the antibiotic?


It was Flagyl.


Did it help you?


No. In fact, it seemed to make it worse, so I stopped taking it after 5 or 6 days.


Do you have nausea?


Not really.


Any vomiting?


No.


How’s your diet?


I think okay, but recently I’m not too hungry because of the abdominal pain and diarrhea.


Has there been any change in your weight?


I’ve lost maybe about 5 pounds in the past month.


Does anyone else in your family have a similar problem?


No.


Have you ever had surgery?


No.


Tell me about your parents’ health.


My Mom is 54, and she’s fine. My Dad died about 15 months ago from a sudden heart attack. He was 56. I miss him a lot.


I am sorry to hear about your father.


Thanks.


Do you have any siblings?


Yeah, I have an older brother who’s fine. He’s 31.


Do you use any recreational drugs?


Marijuana about once or twice a month.


Anything else?


No.


Do you have any allergies?


No.


Are you sexually active?


Yeah.


Are your partners male, female, or both?


Only women. I’ve got a great relationship going on now. I’ve been living with my girlfriend for the past 8 months. I sure hope it continues.


Do you use protection?


Condoms all the time!


Mr. Stern, I just have a few more general questions before I begin the physical examination. Have you ever had a problem with your eyes?


Eyes … yeah. When I was 19 years old in college, I had iritis in my right eye.


Tell me more about that.


I had real bad pain in my right eye, and it got real red. I saw the eye doc, who gave me steroids to take for about 4 weeks. I also remember that I had to wear sunglasses most of the time because the light really bothered me. I got better in about 3 weeks. I took all the meds because I didn’t want that to come back again! Thank God it never came back!


Any history of back problems?


Yeah, I’ve had low back pain for several years since, I guess, I was 21. I think it’s from too much bowling.


Did you ever see a doctor about it?


No. I just take some aspirin or Tylenol, which helps it.


Have you had any oral ulcers?


Not really.


Any urinary problems?


Nope.


Any rashes?


No.


Any chest pain?


No.


Any shortness of breath?


No.

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Nov 5, 2016 | Posted by in MEDICAL ASSISSTANT | Comments Off on The Focused History and Physical Examination

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