Lately, I’ve been asking myself some pointed questions about my expectations and motivations with health history forms. I’m not saying that I don’t think it’s essential to know certain facts; I’m just turning the tables here and donning my detective hat to ask myself some important questions, as I do my clients.
I think of the health history form serving three primary purposes:
- Identify contraindications that might preclude foot or hand reflexology as a safe treatment option, and health conditions that might dictate a particular focus and/or warrant consideration in my choice of technique.
- A conversation opener. My client’s responses give us a place from which to begin a dialogue; to establish rapport; for me to find out how she specifically is affected – on all levels – by the situations she faces in her life.
- Establish what my client’s goals are for her time with me.
With the above in mind, some of the questions that come to my mind are:
- Am I asking too much on the intake form? Are my questions too personal? I understand how tedious and irritating it might become for someone on an exhaustive search for solutions to have to answer the same ubiquitous questions with every practitioner they visit. When all intake forms start to read the same, it might start to sound inauthentic; kind of like the medical operations that keep telling us that they treat “body, mind and spirit”. Might I discover more about my client’s relationship with herself and her challenges through an honest conversation rather than a long checklist?
- In our attempt to gain credibility in the broad field of healthcare, are we “medicalising” complementary therapies? I’m offering reflexology – a modality with very few contraindications – not a medical procedure. Should a complementary therapist’s practices be identical to that of a medic? Are complementary consultations the same as medical consultations?
How would you answer the above questions?
And these:
- How much time do you spend on an initial consultation? How many pages is your intake form?
- Do you think you get all the information you need on your health history form? (How many times has a client aroused herself from “la-la land” to inform you that that tender spot on her foot is from a recently recovered broken bone she forgot to tell you about?)
- What are “deal breakers” for you? Situations where you will not provide a hands-on session?
- How do you respond to a client who refuses to complete a health intake form? Do you attempt to discover why? Gather the basic information you need verbally so as to do no harm and hopefully meet your client’s goals? What do you say to get across your need for certain pieces of information? Do you refuse to give service? If so, why?
Whew! So that’s what’s been racing around in my head the last few days. Please share your thoughts and practices regarding the above; your input helps us all.
Rather than handing someone a paper to fill out, for many years I have looked at the intake as a conversation. I have the form in front of me and ask them questions, starting with how to spell or pronounce their name. Then do they have any problem areas they wish me to address, have they received massage before, what is their occupation. That gives me a window into how their bodies spend their days.
Do they receive any regular exercise? (being sure to smile and appreciate an honest answer). What is their birthdate? Any medical conditions of any kind?
That is it! Takes 5 minutes, 10 max.
Each time they come back, I do a brief checking in about concerns or “special requests”.
I do not ask for their marital status, email address, mailing address.
Good question Karen, I will be interested to see the responses!
love,
valerie
That’s a great way of doing it Valerie. Just talk and you write down what’s important for you to remember.
Interesting questions Karen:
I have used more abbreviated forms when doing health fairs and other public venues-I find that there is no increased coherence in the client info between the short or the long form. We often forget old injuries, or recent bumps.
I always find it interesting when I start with an open ended question like: What brings you here? Clients have really varied goals and needs in my experience. If they’re looking for a lovely spa type experience, a very detailed medical history seems invasive. I always ask how is their body feeling today-is there anything they would like to focus on. This often leads to a much clearer picture.
I like that question too, “What brings you here today?” Another one I like is, “What would you like to accomplish by receiving reflexology?” I once presented this question to someone who had been in a recent car accident and was suffering from severe neck pain; I imagined she wanted to reduce the next pain. What a surprise to hear her answer: “I want to learn how to relax.” Very different focus for my session; one I wouldn’t have known without asking her.
Hi Karen, I also have thoughts about what the best intake form entails. I like to ask them the questions rather than have them fill it out. I like to know old injuries etc, because there can be a relation between what happened. to their body then and what is happening now, such as fascial restrictions or scar tissue. It might explain that because of that past issue, they have walked differently, carried things differently, etc. I like to know what kind of shoes they wear and how this affects their lives. For a short session at a health fair, this information isn’t necessary because we are not being consulted, just giving a sample of a reflexology session, though I inquire of anything they want to work on in the shortened space of time or if they have any health issues I should know about. Someone could have heart problems that jostling could irritate for instance.
I do require a health history and have only had one person refuse to come because of it in 24 years of being in practice He couldn’t understand how rubbing his feet could be a problem. I want to know if they are on blood thinners, if they have had blood clots, if they bruise easy, if they have an injury, if they have had or have cancer, if they have uncontrolled blood pressure, if they have swollen feet and ankles, the cause of the swelling. It all depends on the type of session I am being asked to do, what the contraindications are. The Facial AcuZone Reflexology makes any present headaches worse for instance. But, I could work other areas. If their feet are covered in warts, I would not work there.
My initial intake is about 10 minutes but can last longer if there are many details of their health history that are important, or they are are wordy people.
It looks like your many years of working in a variety of situations has taught you some very efficient ways to get the information you need. Bravo!