[Taking into account both chronology and duration of events is crucial in the medical interview].
Medical history taking represents a key step in the diagnostic approach. A structured interview with a special attention to the chronology of events is mandatory. The medical student often fails to use the information on time in an optimal way. The aim of this article is to draw the attention on a few key elements, especially the age of the patient, the duration of symptoms, the time of occurrence of complaints within the 24h period and, finally, how to interpret the simultaneous or sequential occurrence of two (or more) events.
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D000367:Age Factors; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D008487:Medical History Taking / Q000379:methods*; D013337:Students, Medical; D013997:Time Factors