Special features
In certain situations, priority is given to anamnesis. For example, the emergency services use a less detailed medical history, which only deals with the things that are important for the acute, possibly life-threatening situation. A foreign anamnesis, i.e. an anamnesis of a person who cannot or does not want to answer questions for himself/herself, can be taken in the case of very old or ill persons, unconscious persons, children, non-German-speaking patients, as well as when the attending physician has doubts about the accuracy of the patient’s statements.
What comes after a medical history?
In most cases, further methods of medical diagnosis follow the anamnesis. These include a physical examination of the person concerned, imaging examinations (ultrasound, MRT, CT, X-ray), as well as blood sampling to determine diagnostically relevant values in the blood. Once the diagnosis has been made, the therapy is initiated, which is first discussed with the patient concerned. During this discussion, the patient may gain an insight into the extent to which his or her own information has contributed to finding the correct diagnosis.