Integral to the assessment process is that of history
taking. The purpose of history taking is to ascertain what
has caused the patient to seek healthcare assistance and is
a precise chronological description of the patient’s current
health status. A well-taken history is a record of the
patient’s experiences, not only of the current illness but
also of his or her life, including his or her
culture and beliefs, family situation and previous health
(Bickley, 2009). The elements of history taking are
outlined in Table 1.