23-01-23 – History Taking – GU (Watch lecture for practise questions) Flashcards
Learning outcomes
• To demonstrate an understanding of how patients with GI problems present
• To demonstrate an understanding of the causes of common GI symptoms
• To understand how different body systems inter-relate
• To be able to ask relevant GI questions in a medical history
Watch lecture for practise questions
What 4 histories are included in the genitourinary system (GU)?
• 4 histories included in the genitourinary system (GU):
1) Renal system history
2) Male reproductive system history
3) Female reproductive system history
• Includes menstrual history
• Includes obstetric history
4) Psycho-sexual history
What are the 6 stages of the traditional medical model?
• 6 stages of the traditional medical model:
1) History
2) Examination
3) Investigation
4) Diagnosis
5) Treatment
6) Follow up
What are the 5 stages of the Roger Neighbour Inner Consultation Model 1987?
• This model asks the same questions as the traditional method, but in a different order
• 5 stages of the Roger Neighbour Inner Consultation Model 1987:
1) Connecting
• Building rapport
• Identifying patients views beliefs and expectations
2) Summarising
• Explaining back to the patient what they have told you
• Allow for correction/development of ideas and understanding
3) Handing over
• Agreeing on doctor’s and patient’s agendas
• Involves negotiating and influencing shared management plan
• Giving ownership and responsibility of management plan to patient
4) Safety netting
• Providing advice on what to do if things get worse
• Could be a follow up, advice, or referral
• For the benefit of both doctor and patient
• Ensures ill patients stay in the medical system
5) Housekeeping
• Looking after yourself as a doctor e.g coffee or going for a walk
• Ensures you can provide a high level of care for every patient you see
What are the 7 stages for the structure of history taking?
• 7 stages of history taking:
1) Presenting complaint (PC)
2) History of presenting complaint (HPC)
3) Past Medial History (PMH)
4) Drug History (DH)
5) Family History (FH)
6) Social history (SH)
7) Systems Inquiry (SE)
How do you start the presenting complaint section (PC) of history taking?
What do you then do?
What is it important to do when doing this?
• The presenting complaint section of history taking should start with an open-ended question
• Examples:
1) Can you tell me a little bit about why you have come in today?
2) Can you tell me what brought you here today?
3) What can I do to help you today?
• It is then important to get a description of symptoms from the patient
• It is important to use the patients’ own words, and get everything down in one sentence e.g cough, sore throat, tummy pain, sore chest
What is it important to establish during history of presenting complaint (HPC)?
What is it important to do during this section?
How can patient conversation be facilitated?
What 2 questions should be constantly be thinking in HPC?
What is a useful 8-part mnemonic for when patients present with pain during the History of presenting complaint (HPC) section?
• During history of presenting complaint, it is important to establish a timeline of events from the first symptom to the time of the interview
• Is it important to allow the patient to speak, and not jump in during this section
• Also important to facilitate the patient giving their account by asking a mix of open and close questions
* Be constantly thinking:
1) What are the possible diagnoses?
2) What else do I need to know to help decide which diagnosis is the correct one?
- Useful 8-part mnemonic for when patients present with pain during the History of presenting complaint (HPC) section:
• S – Site – location of pain
• O – Onset – when the pain started, what is sudden or gradual?
• C – Character – shooting, stabbing, dull ache, throbbing pain
• R – Radiation – see if pain radiates away from source
• A – Associated symptoms – give examples
• T – Timing – pain worse at a particular time? Is it constant or intermittent?
• E – exacerbators/relievers – What makes the pain better/worse
• S – severity – pain on a 1-10 rating
What 4 questions we ask about systemic upset?
What can systemic upset indicate?
• 4 questions we ask about systemic upset:
1) Change in appetite
2) Weight loss
3) Fever – probably means infection
4) Tiredness / lethargy
• Systemic upset could indicate malignancy
HPC renal system.
What can flank/lumbar pain be associated with in the GU system?
What is colicky pain?
What can cause colicky pain in the GU system?
Why might this happen?
• HPC renal system.
• Flank/lumbar pain can be associated with the kidneys
• Colicky pain is usually a sharp, localized gastrointestinal or urinary pain that can arise abruptly, and tends to come and go in spasm like waves
• Colicky pain can be created by tubular structures, such as the ureters which are structures from the kidney to the bladder
• This can be from pelvic floor muscles being damaged during child birth
Describe the following GU terms mean:
• Dys
• Haemat
• Noct
• An
• Oli
• Poly
• Uria
• Dys = pain
• Haemat = blood
• Noct = night
• An = none/absent
• Oli = litte
• Poly = many/lots
• Uria = pertaining to urinary system
What 6 questions should we ask regarding the renal system?
What condition can each question indicate?
• 6 questions should we ask regarding the renal system:
1) “Do you ever have pain passing urine”
• Indicates dysuria
2) “Do you have to get up at night to pass urine”
• Indicates nocturia
3) “Have you noticed any blood in your urine”
• Indicates Haematuria
4) “Are you passing more urine than normal”(Excessive urine output of greater than 2.5-3L in 24 hours)
• Indicates polyuria
5) “Are you passing smaller amounts of urine than normal” (small volumes)
• Indicates Oliguria
6) “Have you stopped passing urine” – RED FLAG
• Indicates Anuria
What are the 2 types of haematuria?
• 2 types of haematuria:
1) Microhaematuria
• Blood isn’t obvious in the urine
• Ask about LMP
2) Macro/frank haematuria
What are 3 potential causes of oliguria and anuria?
• 3 potential causes of oliguria and anuria:
1) Consider obstruction: suprapubic pain with intense desire to micturate
2) Consider hypovolaemia: dry / dehydrated
• Vomiting a lot leading to a loss of fluid
3) Consider AKI (acute kidney injury) / renal failure
• What are blood tests showing?
• What is the estimated glomerular filtration rate> (test that shows how the kidneys are functioning)
What are 8 different urinary symptoms?
• 8 different urinary symptoms:
1) Frequency
2) Flow/stream
3) Incomplete emptying
4) Urgency
5) Terminal dribbling
• Urine dribbles into underwear
6) Hesitancy
• Delay in urinary flow
7) Pain (suprapubic, flank / loin)
8) Incontinence
• Having accidents
What 8 factors should we ask about to get more detail on urinary symptoms?
• 8 factors we ask about to get more detail on urinary symptoms:
1) Onset
2) Duration
3) Severity
4) Course
5) Intermittent or continuous?
6) Precipitating factors
7) Relieving factors
8) Previous episodes
What are 5 different types of incontinence?
• 5 different types of incontinence:
1) Stress
• Result of sphincter weakness
• Small leak of urine when intra-abdominal pressure rises
• E.g. coughing, laughing, sneezing, standing up
2) Urge
• Usual cause is detrusor instability
• Strong desire to void and rush to go
• “Didn’t get there in time”
3) Overflow
• Usually due to outflow obstruction
• Leakage of small amounts
• Distended bladder palpable
4) Neurological
• Different types – depends on cause and accompanying neurological deficits
• E.g. – Distended atonic bladder, with large residual volume (autonomic neuropathy) – Loss of sensation and unexpected lack of control (spinal cord injury)
• Typically painful
5) Mixed
• Several different types at once
10) What are 3 reasons why it is important to ask if a patient has a catheter?
• 3 reasons why It is important to ask if a patient has a catheter
1) They may have different pathologies that led to them getting a catheter
2) The catheters may be causing different pathologies, such as infection or blockage
3) Patient may use it intermittently, so may not have it at the time of the consultation