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• Diet and/or exercise
• Work or daily activities - sedentary or active kind of person
• Social drugs i.e. alcohol, cannabis
• Living arrangements, especially the elderly, we have to pay more attention to
their medication if they are not really all together that can be a serious thing.
• Social support - lending some help

Social History - Question
This may be some question you may ask the patient.
• Do you have any special nutritional needs?
• If a patient has diabetes → Do you eat a low carbohydrate diet?
• If the patient has hypertension or heart failure → Do you eat a low salt
diet? Or Do you add any seasoning products such as monosodium

glutamate into your diet?
• If the patient has renal problems → Do you eat a low protein diet?
• Do you exercise?
• What type of exercise?
• How much each week?
• Do you exercise alone?
• Any chest pain or problems?
• Do you work or are you retired?
• Do you have a “desk job” or do a significant amount of physical activity?
• Do you use any recreational drugs?
• Do you currently smoke?
• Do you chew tobacco?
• Do you drink alcohol?
• Do you use any illegal substances?
• For each → How much and how often?
A lot of times people don’t want to talk about this topic so we have to make
them feel comfortable talking to us. We are not trying to put them into trouble but explain that
if they need help with smoking cessation or others, we do need to know about their addiction
level, then most likely they will give us more of their cooperation.

History - Family
Medical History also deals with:
• Disease/condition
• Age
• Outcome

Family History - Questions
This may be some question you may ask the patient to get more information.
• Does anyone in your family (parents, siblings, or children) have _________?
• History of disease state
• Cancer → What type? Which stage of it?

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