Clinical interviewing is the basic method to understand how a person feels and what
are the presenting complaints, obtain medical history, evaluate personal attitudes
and behavior related to health and disease, give the patient information about diagnosis,
prognosis, and treatment, and establish a bond between patient and physician that
is crucial for shared decision making and self-management. However, the value of this
basic skill is threatened by time pressures and emphasis on technology. Current health
care trends privilege expensive tests and procedures and tag the time devoted to interaction
with the patient as lacking cost-effectiveness. Instead, the time spent to inquire
about problems and life setting may actually help to avoid further testing, procedures,
and referrals. Moreover, the dialogue between patient and physician is an essential
instrument to increase patient’s motivation to engage in healthy behavior. The aim
of this paper was to provide an overview of clinical interviewing and its optimal
use in relation to style, flow and hypothesis testing, clinical domains, modifications
according to settings and goals, and teaching. This review points to the primacy of
interviewing in the clinical process. The quality of interviewing determines the quality
of data that are collected and, eventually, of assessment and treatment. Thus, interviewing
deserves more attention in educational training and more space in clinical encounters
than it is currently receiving.
