Taking a collateral history: the missing piece of the puzzle

What you need to knowA collateral history can include information about the patient’s physical and mental health, social circumstances, and functional abilities before a medical assessmentGood communication and clear ways of documenting and sharing information can avoid missing or duplicating informationThere may be contextual differences in patient behaviours and needs, and information may need to be collected from more than one sourceWhen someone is unable to give a full, detailed, or accurate account of their medical, functional, or social situation, the relevant information may be gathered from others, such as family, friends, or carers. This is known as the collateral history.In this overview, we highlight the benefits and challenges of collecting an effective collateral history and suggest ways to improve collateral history taking.What is a collateral history?Collateral histories are used to make diagnoses and formulate ongoing medical and social management plans (box 1). There are clinical conditions where collateral histories…
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