Medical history for food poisoning
A medical history for food poisoning includes asking questions about symptoms, such as:
- When did the symptoms begin? What are they like? How long have they lasted?
- Is there blood in the diarrhea? If so, how much?
- Do you have fever or chills? Do you have abdominal cramps, nausea, or vomiting?
- Have you felt lightheaded or lost consciousness?
Your health professional will also ask questions about any contributing factors, such as:
- Have you recently eaten any suspicious foods, undercooked meat, or raw (unpasteurized) milk or dairy products?
- Did you swim in or drink from a stream or lake recently?
- Have you visited a farm or petting zoo or had contact with reptiles or pets with diarrhea?
- Have you eaten at any outdoor events or buffets?
- Are people who ate the same foods also sick?
- What medications do you regularly take or have you taken recently?
- Have you traveled to a region where food poisoning is common? If so, what kinds of foods did you eat, and what were your eating habits?
- Do you live or work in a nursing home or other custodial care facility?
- Do you work in a day care center, or does your child attend a day care center?
- Do you work as a food handler?
| Author: | Monica Rhodes | Last Updated: March 15, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Christine Hahn, MD - Epidemiology | |
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