A person’s health history can provide critical details about their potential response to certain treatments, their level of risk for certain diseases and their quality of life. Medical professionals who negligently ignore their patients’ health histories and opt for the easiest or most lucrative solution run the risk of injuring their patients.

People who proactively inform their health care provider of concerning conditions but receive no support may end up victims of preventable injuries and ongoing pain.

What health history includes

Doctors use a person’s health history to aid in making diagnoses, recommending treatments and determining health risks that require early intervention and monitoring. According to Healthline, topics addressed within a health history include the following:

  • A patient’s ethnicity
  • A patient’s living environment
  • A patient’s personal habits
  • Causes of death for a patient’s blood-related relatives
  • A patient’s notable medical issues

Why doctors should listen

WebMD suggests that doctors can yield a wealth of information from analyzing a patient’s health history. They can learn about a patient’s risks which enables them to make more informed decisions about treatment. Doctors who ignore important information may misdiagnose their patients or not recognize serious problems until it is too late. They may also recommend treatments that do more harm than good considering the patient’s condition.

People who suffer injuries at the hands of an ignorant medical professional have the right to file a lawsuit. Especially if their health care provider ignored concerns that they disclosed in their health history. In addition to reading and applying a patient’s health history, doctors should also ask questions to assess the most effective course of action for a patient’s needs.