What is considered the first step in a clinical assessment?

The first step in a clinical assessment is gathering the patient history. This stage involves obtaining comprehensive information regarding the patient's medical background, current symptoms, and overall health status. Understanding the patient's history is essential as it provides a context for evaluating their condition, guiding subsequent steps in the assessment process, including physical examinations and diagnostic testing.

The patient history also helps in identifying risk factors, previous medical conditions, medications, and family health history that may impact the current clinical scenario. It sets the groundwork for building a rapport with the patient while allowing the healthcare provider to formulate an initial working diagnosis or hypothesis based on the information shared. This foundational understanding is critical for an accurate and effective evaluation, making it the logical starting point of the clinical assessment process.