In a medical encounter, a past medical history (abbreviated PMH) [1] is the total sum of a patient's health status prior to the presenting problem.
Different sources include different questions to be asked while conducting a PMH, but in general, they include the following:
Several acronyms have been developed to categorize the appropriate questions to include:
In prehospital medicine, namely EMS, the acronyms SAMPLE or CHAMPS are used.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services [5] has published criteria for what constitutes a reimbursable PMH. A PMH is considered one of three elements of the "Past, Family, and Social History" (abbreviated as PFSH): [6]
A pertinent PFSH consists of at least one of the three components; a full PFSH consists of two or three components for an established patient, or all three components for a new patient visit. [6]
Type of history | CC | HPI | ROS | Past, family, and/or social |
---|---|---|---|---|
Problem focused | Required | Brief | N/A | N/A |
Expanded problem focused | Required | Brief | Problem pertinent | N/A |
Detailed | Required | Extended | Extended | Pertinent |
Comprehensive | Required | Extended | Complete | Complete |