Medical Student Survival Skills
History Taking and Communication Skills
Philip Jevon, Steve Odogwu
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
Medical Student Survival Skills
History Taking and Communication Skills
Philip Jevon, Steve Odogwu
About This Book
Medical students encounter many challenges on their path to success, from managing their time, applying theory to practice, and passing exams. The Medical Student Survival Skills series helps medical students navigate core subjects of the curriculum, providing accessible, short reference guides for OSCE preparation and hospital placements. These guides are the perfect tool for achieving clinical success.
Medical Student Survival Skills: History Taking and Communication Skills is a concise and compact guide to obtaining and recording medical histories and achieving positive patient interactions. The first section explores taking historyâfrom initial introduction to identifying symptomsâand includes abdominal and chest pain, dizziness and vertigo, shortness of breath, sexual history, confusion and loss of memory. Essential patient communication skills and strategies for various situations are described in the second section, including angry patients, instances of drug and alcohol abuse, diabetes counselling and breaking bad news.
Frequently asked questions
Information
Part 1
History Taking
1
Abdominal distention
Differentials
- Common (important causes): ascites, bowel obstruction (from cancer, adhesions, sigmoid volvulus, hernia, etc.), diverticulitis, coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), constipation, medications
History
- Open question assessing duration of abdominal distention
- Onset, triggers, how long for
- When was the last time they opened their bowels/passed wind. If they can open their bowels, does this relieve the distention?
- Any per rectum (PR) bleeding
- Any vomiting/nausea
- Abdominal pain: use SOCRATES template (see Chapter 8)
- Any weight loss
- Any change in appetite
- Any shortness of breath
- Previous abdominal distention
- Any signs of jaundice â pale stools, dark urine, itching
- Urine symptoms: dysuria/frequency/dribbling/hesitation, etc.
- Constipation, diarrhoea, change in bowel habit. Any IBD?
- Any previous surgery, especially gynaecological/abdominal
- Any previous medical history
- Use MJ THREADS (Box 1.1)
Box 1.1 MJ THREADS
M | Myocardial infarction |
J | Jaundice |
T | Tuberculosis |
H | Hypertension (âHas anyone told you, you have high blood pressure?â) |
R | Rheumatic fever |
E | Epilepsy |
A | Asthma |
D | Diabetes |
S | Stroke |
- Current medications
- Allergies
- Any family members with similar symptoms
- Any family history of malignancy
- Any illnesses that run in the family
- Who patient lives with
- Occupation (e.g. healthcare setting)
- Smoking and alcohol
- Recent foreign travel
OSCE Key Learning Points
- In particular, be aware of bowel obstruction and ascites. Do not forget vomiting, last open bowels, and weight loss
Investigations
- Bloods: full blood count (FBC), urea and electrolytes (U&Es), Câreactive protein (CRP), amylase, clotting, albumin, interna...
Table of contents
- Cover
- Table of Contents
- Acknowledgements
- About the companion website
- Part 1: History Taking
- Part 2: Communication Skills
- Index
- End User License Agreement