the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth

In pediatrics, usually one finds oneself taking the history from Someone Other Than The Patient. Because, y'know, the patient is a wailing 21-month-old. So for every pediatric H&P, it's important to include the line "history given by ______" and it's not uncommon to add a comment on the apparent reliability of said history-giver.

More often than not, the historian's reliability-- or lack thereof-- is pretty apparent. For example:

EMILY:
So, has she ever had any other medical problems?

PATIENT'S MOM:
Nope, nothing else.

EMILY:
Great. [writes this down] And does she take any medications?

PATIENT'S MOM:
Um, no.

EMILY:
Okay. Any surgeries?

PATIENT'S MOM:
Just the biopsy I mentioned.

EMILY:
Okay, good. [makes a note of this, then turns the page] Now I'm going to ask about family history, okay? Anyone in the family have a history of asthma?

PATIENT'S MOM:
Well, she does. [indicates the patient]

EMILY:
[taken aback] Oh... she has asthma?? Um, okay. [flips back to the Past Medical History section and adds this] Does she take any medications for that?

PATIENT'S MOM:
Well, yeah. Singulair, and Pulmicort. And albuterol.

EMILY:
[resignedly writing this down] Do you happen to know the doses?

PATIENT'S MOM:
[looking puzzled] No.

EMILY:
Okay. That's okay. Now. Anyone in the family have seizures?

PATIENT'S MOM:
[indicating the patient again] Well, she had seizures. That's why she's on the Keppra.

EMILY:
[sighing, flipping back to the Past Medical History section again and writing this down] Okay. Seizures. Keppra. Got it.

[after a few more questions]

EMILY:
Has anyone ever told you she had a heart murmur or anything like that?

PATIENT'S MOM:
Yeah, she had one when she was a baby, but not anymore.

EMILY:
Oh, okay. Did she have a congenital heart defect?

PATIENT'S MOM:
Yeah, a PDA.

EMILY:
[remembering the lack of surgical history] Oh, so they just closed that using medicine?

PATIENT'S MOM:
Oh, no, she needed surgery for that.

EMILY:
[not even surprised anymore]