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History Taking and Examination

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Textbook of Primary Care Dermatology
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Abstract

Taking a proper history in dermatology not only helps make the diagnosis but will also illicit how the patient feels about their skin problem and what they expect from treatment. A thorough physical examination of the skin may help make a diagnosis and not infrequently can show up other dermatology problems that the patient may not have been aware of. Becoming skilful in dermatology depends on having a good knowledge of the natural history of common skin diseases and an accurate visual memory of previous cases. Absolute recognition of a rash or a lesion is desirable, although not essential on the initial consultation once the doctor can rule out more serious pathology such as a melanoma or a serious skin infection.

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References

  1. Lewis V, Finlay AY. 10 Years experience of the dermatology life quality index (DLQI). J Investig Dermatol Symp Proc. 2004;9:169–80. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1087-0024.2004.09113.x

  2. Haenssle HA, et al. Man against machine: diagnostic performance of a deep learning convolutional neural network for dermoscopic melanoma recognition in comparison to 58 dermatologists Ann Oncol. mdy166. https://doi.org/10.1093/annonc/mdy166. Published: 28 May 2018.

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Correspondence to David Buckley .

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Buckley, D. (2021). History Taking and Examination. In: Buckley, D., Pasquali, P. (eds) Textbook of Primary Care Dermatology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29101-3_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29101-3_2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-29100-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-29101-3

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