Important Questions About History of Drug Use

Important Points about the History of Drug Use

1. Regular or intermittent
2. Amount (know the units)
3. Pattern dependence/withdrawal 
4. Impact on work, relationships, money, police 
5. Screening questionnaires e.g. CAGE

Behavior and Body Language During History Taking

1. Establish and maintain eye-contact and rapport. 
2. Relaxed non-threatening posture and appear unhurried. 
3. Use facilitated noises (I see, okay, etc.)
4. Pick up on nonverbal cues 
5. Acknowledge what they are saying 
6. Show a willingness to understand 
7. Do not offer opinion/advice to early 
8. Control over-talkativeness with polite authority at the right time

Diagnostic formulation

What is the diagnostic formulation??

We use a diagnostic formulation to integrate and better evaluate the information we have obtained from the assessment of the patient. It has these components:

1. The problem
2. Differential diagnosis
3. Etiology
4. Management
5. Prognosis