anamese

Anamese, also spelled anamnese or anamnesis, is a term used in medicine and related fields to refer to the systematic collection of a patient's medical history through narrative interview. Deriving from the Greek anámnēsis ("recollection"), the concept encompasses the information a patient recalls about current symptoms and past health events, as well as family, social, and treatment history, that may be relevant to diagnosis and care.

In practice, anamnesis involves several components: chief complaint; history of present illness (including onset, duration, progression, and associated factors); past medical and surgical history; medications and allergies; family history; social history (lifestyle, tobacco and alcohol use, occupational exposure); and a review of systems. Clinicians typically begin with open-ended questions to encourage detailed reporting, followed by targeted questions to clarify specifics. Documentation may follow structured forms or be free-text, and in some settings standardized history-taking tools are used.

The anamnesis is a foundational element of patient assessment, guiding the differential diagnosis, tests, and treatment plan. It also supports establishing rapport and informs risk assessment and preventive care. In psychiatry and psychology, the term remains central to establishing psychiatric history and psychosocial context; in other fields, it remains part of the initial intake.

Limitations include reliance on patient memory, communication barriers, and cognitive status, as well as potential gaps if information from older records is unavailable. Cross-checking with relatives or medical records can help mitigate inaccuracies.