werner@aecom.UUCP (Craig Werner) (01/09/86)
[A little easier than the last one]
A young woman comes into the clinic with (obviously) a health complaint.
You first introduce yourself, then begin the interview.
You ask what's wrong, and she says that her stomach hurts.
You ask her to describe the pain further, and you find that it
is worse before she eats breakfast.
You ask how long this has been going on, and she says it started to
bother her a few weeks ago, no, maybe a little more than a month, but that it
has gotten worse recently.
You ask two more questions, the first of which is suggestive but
non-specific, the second of which suggests the obvious diagnosis?
What is the informative question, and why do you ask? (Well, you ask
because you suspect the cause, but need to confirm it with the patient. That's
not the angle I'm looking for to have answered.)
--
Craig Werner
!philabs!aecom!werner
"When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day."