Pediatric History Taking Format: Fill & Download for Free

They didn’t ‘go’ anywhere. They’re still at AIIMS, Delhi. Probably busy with wards and classes.Saw many of them yesterday in the Pediatrics’ ward learning history taking from one of my seniors from AIIMS MBBS 2006 batch who is currently pursuing DM In Pediatric nephrology. He himself learnt the same 11 years ago in the same ward from someone!Ah, how time flies! Seems just like yesterday when I too was in their shoes learning the art and craft of history taking ( and still continuing!)

“I should have focused more on clinicals in my 2nd and 3rd year”- Every final year student ever.In final year, clinicals take the front seat. They carry 50% weightage in exams, equal to theory.By the time you reach final year, you are expected to know,History taking.Clinical examination of important cases in Medicine, Surgery, Pediatrics and Ob-Gy.But that's just the basics. In final year people are too focused on the few cases which come for the exam. All the other cases are brushed aside by most.For example,for Medicine exam in my college, we usually have a stroke case in cns, valvular heart diseases in cvs, a cirrhosis of liver in git and Tb-pleural effusion, COPD in Respiratory. We hardly see or learn anything else in wards.Second and Third year is the time where you can see and learn anything without worrying much about practical exams. These 5 clinical semesters can make you a good clinician.What all you need?Clinical manuals :Medcine - Hutchison/Macleod/AlagappanSurgery - S.Das / Makhanlal SahaPediatrics - Meharban Singh/ChaddaFor OBGY, ENT, Opthamology, PSM - Notes from postings and textbooks would sufficeHardly anything changes with each edition of clinical manuals. You can buy them without hesitation. Or just borrow from library /seniors.Youtube : There are tons of videos on youtube which show youHistory taking.Clinical examination of any case.Search for any symptom or sign, you can see all of them here. Even the rare ones you cannot find in postings.Cassette clinics by Dr. Ghansham Vaidya and Videos by Stanford Medicine 25 are some of the better ones.Make a plan. For each posting.Attend every single day.Learn History taking on the first day.Set aside some time for clinicals every day. An hour before postings and an hour in the evening would sufficeLearn 1 case/system per day. Before leaving your postings, go to wards and look for cases. Select one case,ask help of PGs if required. Go home and read that topic from text book, examination of that case/ system from clinical manual. Watching youtube videos on examination first can save you a lot of time.Take that case tomorrow morning.Be polite to patients. They are not just your study material,you have to consider their state of mind and feelings too.I have observed that many of my classmates just go to patients and directly start asking history. Do not do that.Before asking history, introduce yourself. Tell them that you are here to look into thier condition. Explain that they will have to answer some questions and let you examine them.Tell them that this is going to take a while.This is important because we usually take cases in the morning and patients might be intending to have breakfast or go to washroom, or they might have just taken their medicine and are ready to get a nap. They might get impatient after answering few questions and you'll not be able to take a proper case.Ask them if they had their breakfast and took their medicines. Give them some time to eat if they haven't or you can let them eat when you are asking history. Make sure that they are comfortable before you start. If they get uncomfortable in between, try to calm them down and finish your examination as soon as possible.This will let you familiarize yourself with patients and build their trust in you. You'll have easier time taking a case.Maintain your etiquette near patients. Do not giggle/crack jokes with your friends/chitchat while taking a case. It gives a wrong impression that you are taking light of thier condition. Study before you start your case. Looking into books and examining patients simultaneously might give an impression that you don't know what you're doing.Present the case to your Professor, PG, or whoever is available. Ask for classes, Take notes. Whatever you learn in postings, go home and read them.Maintain 1 clinical notebook per subject and keep it safe.Write all the cases you took for that subject in 1 book. Some of my professors still have their clinical notes from their MBBS.Present as many cases as possible. It gives you confidence.If there is no one to take a class,Just take a case and keep it with you. You can present it later.Find final year students in your postings and join them, they usually have classes everyday in postings.Teach your friends/juniors the history taking and examination you learnt yesterday. It reinforces your knowledge.Prepare Proformas for all important cases .This will help you a lot in final year.See as many cases as possible.You can do general examination in every single patient in the wards. Practice measuring BP, checking all Peripheral pulses, Jvp,Cranial Nerve examination, Reflexes, etc.If there are no patients, learn systemic examination and do it on your friends.Never miss OPD days. You can learn a lot in those 3 hrs.Never miss OT days. Read about Indications, Procedure, complications of any surgery you see.Never miss Labour room days.Learn how to give IV/IM injections, IV cannulation, wound dressing, CPR. You might save someone in an emergency or helpout in your neighborhood.Learn as much as you can from each posting. There is always something to learn. Even in Psm postings :PAll the best!

So it was my preliminary examination in pediatrics. I was taking a neonate case, while in the middle of history taking, mother-in-law of the mother of the child approaches me and says," kuch kar sakte ho kya doctor sahab ki agli bar isse ladki na hoon." (Can you do anything such that she doesn't bear a girl child next time).Luckily, I had enough time for my viva so I could explain her that there is nothing wrong with having a girl child.Later on I asked the new born's mother what she felt about what her mother in law said when she was not around. She replied," mein to khush hoon, kya pata inhe kya taklif hai, woh bhi toh aurat hi hai."( I am happy; despite being a woman I dont know what problem she has with the child).