add share buttons

The importance of taking a good history in clinical practice

Being able to take a good history is an important skill that all health professionals need. It is an important part of the data gathering in the process of making a diagnosis as to what might the clinical problem be and what impact that problem might be having on the client. All health professionals as part of their training need to develop good communication skills to be able to do this properly. Also important is those communication skills to education the client on the nature of their problem and what they suggest as the best course of action to manage the problem. An episode of the podiatry livestream of Facebook, PodChatLive was devoted to the whole issues of history taking and communication skills. The video of that episode is also on YouTube and there is an audio podcast version also available.

In that episode the hosts Ian Griffith and Craig Payne chatted with the Physical Therapist Jarod Hall to talk through just what a good history taking looks like and more importantly the language that should be used and the language and words that should best be avoid ed during the communication process. The episode also spent a lot of time on the very complex topic of pain and the importance that needed to be placed on educating those clients sitting across from him in his clinic office. Th use of the right language when dealing with people who are in pain is a crucial skill to develop. Jarod Hall first went to and graduated from Texas A&M University in 2011 with a B.S. in Exercise Physiology and Theories of Motor Control. After graduating from Texas A&M Jarod moved to Fort Worth to attend the UNT Health Science Center’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program. He then completed his doctorate in May of 2014 after being named the recipient of the Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence.