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Medicine vocabulary · History Taking and Examination

Past medical history

Meaning in medicine, with examples

nounCommon term

In medicine, past medical history means: The section of a history that lists a patient's previous and ongoing illnesses, operations and hospital stays.

In Turkish: özgeçmiş, geçirilmiş hastalıklar

How it is used

Written PMH or PMHx in notes, after the history of the presenting complaint. Doctors ask 'Do you have any medical problems?' or 'Have you ever been in hospital?' Operations may be listed separately as past surgical history (PSH).

Example sentences

  1. Past medical history: type 2 diabetes, hypertension, appendicectomy in 1998.

  2. Her past medical history matters here, because she had a clot in her leg two years ago.

Common collocations

  • past medical history of
  • significant past medical history
  • no past medical history
  • past surgical history
  • take a historyTo ask a patient structured questions about their current problem, past illnesses, medicines, family and lifestyle in order to understand what is wrong.
  • family historyInformation about illnesses in a patient's close relatives, such as parents, brothers and sisters, which may increase the patient's own risk.
  • allergyA harmful reaction of the immune system to something that is normally harmless, such as a medicine, a food or pollen.
  • conditionAn illness or health problem, especially a long-term one; also the general state of a patient's health at a particular time.

More terms: History Taking and Examination

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.