FaMED Anamnese: Three Follow-up Question Drills with Patient Replies

A useful follow-up starts with the answer you actually heard. In this partner exercise, your task is to clarify one missing detail without supplying the patient's answer yourself. The three cards are separate fictional situations, not parts of one clinical case.

The organiser describes Anamnese as gathering information while giving the patient room to speak, using clear, respectful communication. These original mini-dialogues practise that narrow skill. They are not an official test, clinical decision guide or exam scoring rubric.

How to use the cards

One person reads the patient line; the other chooses a question and says it aloud. Keep the reply and explanations covered until after the choice. The patient then reads the supplied reply. Finish by summarising only what is now known. Swap roles and repeat without reading the suggested wording. If studying alone, write your question before scrolling to the answer.

Card 1: separate onset from frequency

„Das kommt immer wieder, aber nicht jeden Tag.“

A: „Seit wann tritt das auf?“

B: „Das haben Sie also jeden Tag?“

Choose before revealing the patient's next line:

„Zum ersten Mal vor ungefähr zwei Wochen. Gestern war es zweimal, heute bisher einmal.“

Suggested choice: A. The opening says the complaint recurs but is not daily. A asks about onset; B contradicts the answer and encourages agreement. After the supplied reply, you know an approximate onset and two recent counts. You still do not know the duration of each episode.

A possible next question is:

„Wie lange dauert es jeweils, wenn die Beschwerden auftreten?“

There is no supplied answer to that question. Leave the duration unknown rather than filling it in. One possible patient-facing summary of the information you do have is:

„Die Beschwerden treten seit ungefähr zwei Wochen wiederholt auf, aber nicht täglich. Gestern war es zweimal, heute bisher einmal. Habe ich das richtig zusammengefasst?“

Do not turn “approximately two weeks” into an exact date. This card practises listening and time expressions; it does not identify a diagnosis.

Card 2: keep an unknown medicine unknown

„Ich nehme morgens eine kleine weiße Tablette. Den Namen weiß ich gerade nicht.“

A: „Das ist dann Ihre Blutdrucktablette?“

B: „Haben Sie einen Medikamentenplan oder die Packung dabei?“

The patient answers the clarifying question:

„Nein, beides liegt zu Hause. Den Namen kann ich Ihnen im Moment nicht sagen.“

Suggested choice: B. It asks whether a source for the medication name is available. A guesses an indication that the patient has not provided. Colour and size alone do not give you the name in this exercise.

Try a faithful spoken summary:

„Sie nehmen morgens eine Tablette ein. Den Namen kennen Sie im Moment nicht; einen Medikamentenplan oder die Packung haben Sie heute nicht dabei.“

Do not replace this with a named drug, dose or indication. “Not known at the moment” also does not mean the person takes no medication. In a real task, further steps depend on the assignment and information available; this card supplies no treatment instruction.

Card 3: accept a correction

„Nein, seit Dienstag, nicht seit Donnerstag.“

A: „Danke für die Korrektur: seit Dienstag. Stimmt das so?“

B: „Gut, dann notiere ich Donnerstag.“

The patient responds to the corrected summary:

„Ja, Dienstag ist richtig.“

Suggested choice: A. A acknowledges the correction and checks the revised fact. B repeats the very error the patient identified. Replace Thursday with Tuesday in your notes; do not keep both as if they were equally supported.

Say the corrected sentence once without looking at the card:

„Die Beschwerden bestehen seit Dienstag.“

Tuesday is the supplied information. No calendar date or symptom duration can be calculated without additional context.

Compare two attempts

For each card, keep your first question and summary. Repeat after checking these four points:

• Did my question follow the actual answer rather than contradict it?
• Did I ask one clear question at a time?
• Did my summary preserve uncertainty, frequency and corrections?
• Can I point to the patient's line for every fact I added?

Choose one observable improvement, such as “I kept the medication name unknown.” This is a study check, not a percentage score or proof of exam readiness. For a broader interview structure, use the Anamnese introduction. For vocabulary-focused practice, see the patient-language examples.

Keep the practice going

Put one card into your seven-day practice tracker. For a longer routine, request the free study guide. After registration, your personal thank-you page downloads the PDF and provides a manual fallback; a backup link arrives by email. Optional marketing confirmation is separate.

For optional additional cases and useful phrases, get the digital book. You can also use these cards with a partner and your existing study materials.

Source and scope

Reviewed 26 October 2026 against the organiser's exam description, specifically its Anamnese communication aims. All dialogue cards, replies and checks here are original FaMED Prep learning material. FaMED Prep is independent of the organiser. No official question, timing, diagnostic rule or scoring weight is asserted by these exercises.