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A medical history can be a crucial tool for helping physicians diagnose conditions, recommend testing procedures and treat health ailments. Each time a patient seeks medical attention, the healthcare provider is likely to begin by reviewing and updating the patient’s medical history, which includes the following:

• Personal medical history. This consists of current symptoms, chronic conditions and medications, as well as past history of surgeries, allergies, hospitalizations and other information.
  
  
• Social history. This includes information about patient habits and lifestyle (e.g., occupation, diet, exercise, tobacco and alcohol use).
  
  
• Family history. This portion deals with information about any health problems that may run in the family. Many conditions (e.g., alcoholism, allergies) are believed to result, in part, from genetic factors.

A physician will obtain this information by asking a series of personal questions. Patients should answer to the best of their ability, without concern for potential embarrassment and without guessing. Physicians use those answers to identify patterns of symptoms that are suggestive of a single condition. They may ask additional questions to better understand symptoms and further identify current health issues. By law, medical histories are not shared with anyone outside the physician’s office without the patient’s permission.

Creating and maintaining an accurate medical history with each healthcare provider is the first step in achieving quality health care. It is equally important to keep copies of these records at home in a safe, yet accessible location.

After the medical history is complete, a physical examination will follow. Depending on the information revealed, the physician may determine what, if any, additional testing is needed.