Where are the history and the physical?
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 7743445.
- Also identified by PMC identifier PMC1337855.
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Abstract
In clinical practice, the history and physical examination are being superseded by laboratory tests and biomedical technology. The author discusses the importance of the clinical examination as the basis for clinical reasoning and of direct observation of students at the patients' bedside in order to assess their diagnostic reasoning. Greater attention to the clinical examination would lead not only to improved clinical skills but also to more cost-effective use of ancillary investigations and, moreover, to a better understanding of the patient by the physician.