During which phase of the patient interview would the nurse ask the patient about allergies and medications?

Chapter 2. Patient Assessment

The purpose of obtaining a health history is to gather subjective data from the patient and/or the patient’s family so that the health care team and the patient can collaboratively create a plan that will promote health, address acute health problems, and minimize chronic health conditions. The health history is typically done on admission to hospital, but a health history may be taken whenever additional subjective information from the patient may be helpful to inform care (Wilson & Giddens, 2013).

Data gathered may be subjective or objective in nature. Subjective data is information reported by the patient and may include signs and symptoms described by the patient but not noticeable to others. Subjective data also includes demographic information, patient and family information about past and current medical conditions, and patient information about surgical procedures and social history. Objective data is information that the health care professional gathers during a physical examination and consists of information that can be seen, felt, smelled, or heard by the health care professional. Taken together, the data collected provides a health history that gives the health care professional an opportunity to assess health promotion practices and offer patient education (Stephen et al., 2012).

The hospital will have a form with assessment questions similar to the ones listed in Checklist 16.

Checklist 16: Health History Checklist
Disclaimer: Always review and follow your hospital policy regarding this specific skill.

Steps

Additional Information

Determine the following:

1. Biographical data

  • Source of history
  • Name
  • Age
  • Occupation (past or present)
  • Marital status/living arrangement
2. Reason for seeking care and history of present health concern
  • Chief complaint
  • Onset of present health concern
  • Duration
  • Course of the health concern
  • Signs, symptoms, and related problems
  • Medications or treatments used (ask how effective they were)
  • What aggravates this health concern
  • What alleviates the symptoms
  • What caused the health concern to occur
  • Related health concerns
  • How the concern has affected life and daily activities
  • Previous history and episodes of this condition
3. Past health history
  • Allergies (reaction)
  • Serious or chronic illness
  • Recent hospitalizations
  • Recent surgical procedures
  • Emotional or psychiatric problems (if pertinent)
  • Current medications: prescriptions, over­-the­-counter, herbal remedies
  • Drug/alcohol consumption
4. Family history
  • Pertinent health status of family members
  • Pertinent family history of heart disease, lung disease, cancer, hypertension, diabetes, tuberculosis, arthritis, neurological disease, obesity, mental illness, genetic disorders
5. Functional assessment (including activities of daily living)
  • Activity/exercise, leisure and recreational activities (assess for falls risk)
  • Sleep/rest
  • Nutrition/elimination
  • Interpersonal relationships/resources
  • Coping and stress management
  • Occupational/environmental hazards
6. Developmental tasks
  • Current significant physical and psychosocial changes/issues
7. Cultural assessment
  • Cultural/health-related beliefs and practices
  • Nutritional considerations related to culture
  • Social and community considerations
  • Religious affiliation/spiritual beliefs and/or practices
  • Language/communication
Data source: Assessment Skill Checklists, 2014

  1. You are taking a health history. Why is it important for you to obtain a complete description of the patient’s present illness?
  2. You are taking a health history. What is one reason it is important for you to obtain a complete description of the patient’s lifestyle and exercise habits?

Tips for Conducting a Patient Medication Interviewa

I. Medication Information

To obtain or verify a list of the patient's current medications,b you should inquire about:

  • Prescription medications.
  • Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs.
  • Vitamins.
  • Herbals.
  • Nutraceuticals/Health supplements.
  • Respiratory therapy-related medications (e.g., inhalers).
Full dosing information should be captured, if possible, for each medication. This includes:
  • Name of the medication.
  • Strength.
  • Formulations (e.g., extended release such as XL, CD, etc.).
  • Dose.
  • Route.
  • Frequency.
  • Last dose taken.

II. Medication History Prompts

Incorporating various types of "probing questions" into the patient interview may help trigger the patient's memory on what medications they are currently taking. Here are some suggestions:

  • Use both open-ended questions (e.g., "What do you take for your high cholesterol?") and closed-ended questions (e.g, "Do you take medication for your high cholesterol?") during the interview.
  • Ask patients about routes of administration other than oral medicines (e.g., "Do you put any medications on your skin?"). Patients often forget to mention creams, ointments, lotions, patches, eye drops, ear drops, nebulizers, and inhalers.
  • Ask patients about what medications they take for their medical conditions (e.g., "What do you take for your diabetes?").
  • Ask patients about the types of physicians that prescribe medications for them (e.g., "Does your 'arthritis doctor' prescribe any medications for you?").
  • Ask patients about when they take their medications (e.g., time of day, week, month, as needed, etc.). Patients often forget to mention infrequent dosing regimens, such as monthly.
  • Ask patients if their doctor recently started them on any new medicines, stopped medications they were taking, or made any changes to their medications.
  • Asking patients to describe their medication by color, size, shape, etc., may help to determine the dosage strength and formulation. Calling the patient's caregiver or their community pharmacist may be helpful to determine an exact medication, dosage strength, and/or directions for use.
  • For inquiring about OTC drugs, additional prompts may include:
    • What do you take when you get a headache?
    • What do you take for allergies?
    • Do you take anything to help you fall asleep?
    • What do you take when you get a cold?
    • Do you take anything for heartburn?

a Adapted from the Joint Commission Resources and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Medication Reconciliation Handbook. Chapter 5: Educating your staff. Oakbrook Torrance, IL: Joint Commission Resources, 2006.
b For a full range of medications as defined by The Joint Commission, refer to their accreditation material.

Return to Document

Page last reviewed July 2022

Page originally created August 2012

Internet Citation: Figure 9: Tips for Conducting a Patient Medication Interview. Content last reviewed July 2022. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD.
https://www.ahrq.gov/patient-safety/settings/hospital/match/figure-9.html

During which phase of the patient interview would the nurse ask the patient about allergies and medications?

What are the stages of the patient interview process?

Phases of the Interview The nursing interview has three basic phases: introductory, working, and summary and closing phases. These phases are briefly explained by describing the roles of the nurse and client during each one.

What is the best way to obtain specific information about a patient when taking the medical history?

What is the best way to obtain specific information about a patient when taking the medical history? Ask direct questions that can be answered briefly. Which medical record system has a standard format that makes it easy to read and audit?

What data should the nurse collect during the interview portion of a health assessment?

During an interview obtain information about a patient's physical, developmental, emotional, intellectual, social and spiritual dimensions.

What are open

Open-ended questions, which allow patients to discuss their concerns freely, are widely considered an efficient method gathering medical information from patients during a medical interview.