What is a health history questionnaire?
Questionnaire forms are used in almost every organization for collecting data and information about people. Medical health history questionnaire form is used in hospitals. Patient health questionnaire is a type of form in which different questions regarding the health of the patient are asked.
The purpose of preparing the questionnaire form is to let the physician know about the medical history of the patient. Knowing the medical history of the patient makes it easier for the physician to conduct the treatment. Moreover, the medical history also tells about the sensitivity of the patient for a particular medication or treatment
Who prepares the questionnaire?
The questionnaire in any organization is prepared by a team of experts who knows the type of information required to be obtained. A physician knows better about the history of the patient the questionnaire should focus on. He then prepares the form according to that information. The questionnaire can also be prepared by the management of the hospital.
Who needs the questionnaire?
The questionnaire is needed by the physician or surgeon who wants to treat the patient. This builds a good communication between the doctor and patient. The doctor can easily understand the condition of the patient and can then interact with him according to it.
It should be kept in mind that the questionnaire is not the only thing needed by the doctor. The doctor should also possess the best consultation skills so that the patients can consult him easily. The questionnaire gives the additional information about the patient that the doctor may not be able to get by a general discussion with the patient.
General medical history questionnaire
Most of the hospitals used general medical history questionnaire. This type of questionnaire includes such questions which are general and are used to gather general information about the patient. Usually, the purpose of the questionnaire is just to collect general information about the patient such as cholesterol level.
The general questionnaire also collects information such as patient’s age, name, number of surgeries he has before and a lot more. It collects information about recent illness the patient has gone through, previous illnesses, and things the patient is allergic to.
Personal medical history questionnaire
The physicians who are not satisfied with the information provided by the general questionnaire also use another form that collects the information they need. This form is their personal medical history questionnaire. Some patients also use a personal questionnaire to provide personal information about their medical history. The form can be used by anyone who wants his/her physician to know his medical details.
Family medical history questionnaire
There are different types of treatments which require the family medical history. For example, when a person complains about any complication related to cancer or diabetes, the physician may check the family medical history of the patient to know if anyone in the patient’s family ever had cancer or diabetes.
In most of the cases, the patient is more likely to get a particular disease if it runs in his/her family. The family medical history questionnaire collects information about the family of the patient such as some general health conditions of parents.
Medical history forms
A medical history form is used to assess the medical conditions of the patient. A good medical history form is always able to collect comprehensive information about the patient. The form also reveals the ideas of the patients and their expectations from the treatment they want.
The questions asked by the doctor should not dominate the information provided by the patient. A medical history form is considered to be very effective if it is able to listen to the patient well. If the form does not listen to the patient, it is likely to be less useful for the doctor as it will not be much revealing for the doctor.
The form is not required to have all the information about the health history. It is the doctor that decides the nature and type of information about the patient. It is important to make the form with care and attention so that a better form can be designed.
Patient health history questionnaire templates
Many hospitals also use a template for the patient health history questionnaire. The template saves their time as it includes all those details that are required to get complete information about the patient. The template includes the information in a right order due to which fetching the information about the patient becomes easier.
The template is flexible and allows the user to add or remove details as needed. The logo of the company, company name, comment section and a lot more can be added easily. The template does not include all the medical history related questions. If you think the question you want to ask is missing, you can add it.
There is a separate section in the template where the form asks the patient to write the entire prescription of the medicine he is using. The doctor understands much with the medication the patient is being administered. The patient is also asked to enlist the names of all supplements that he is using.
New patient medical history form
A medical history form is used most of the times when a new patient gets admitted to the hospital. Not every patient is needed to fill it. The management of the hospital keeps the information safe and the patient does not have to fill in the form every time he needs to fix the appointment. Fixing an appointment with the doctor requires the patient to fill the new patient medical history form.
The patient may not be comfortable while communicating with the doctor. The doctor should be able to get as much historical information as possible.
Many hospitals have an online system where the patient can fill the form online and submit it. The doctor, after reviewing the questionnaire form can decide to have an appointment with the patient and discuss the health issues in detail.