Redefining Clinical Skills in History Taking in Association With Epidemiological Assessment of Risk Factors, and Diagnosis of Patients With Cardiovascular Diseases With a Special Emphasis on COVID-19

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases were the leading cause of death in the world prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. A wide range of risk factors may precipitate a cardiovascular disease and therefore multiple aspects of the patient's history may lend a hand in the diagnosis of the specific stage of cardiovascular disease that is presented by the patient. This article will give a general review of the knowledge and skillsets needed by a clinician to distinguish and at the same time correlate the different presenting symptoms and the potential cardiac issue associated with them. History taking is a very essential and critical clinical skill that is of paramount assistance in diagnosing and treating the patient with the right management therapies to find a cure for the disease. Basic approaches in the evaluation of the physical condition and cardiac assessment are important skills in healthcare that help decrease mortality in everyday life and therefore are needed to be learned efficiently. Lifestyle changes and modern standard of living especially in a developing country like India contribute majorly to the evolution of this disease in the population as well as the eating habits and addictions which play a vital role in the progression of the disease. The aim of this article is also to give an outline of various risk factors and recent etiological agents by analyzing the epidemiological variation and patterns that can be ruled out or considered associated with the cardiovascular related-symptomatology and relevant history of the patient to confirm a diagnosis by investigations which will direct the clinician towards specific treatments and recovery of the patient. A special topic of understanding would be the COVID-19associated cardiovascular complications which have been recently discovered and studied as a result of the pandemic.

The need to accelerate COVID-19 education across medical schools

“…The study of clinical skills includes history-taking, where students explore COVID-19 related diseases such as mental health and cardiovascular symptoms. 1 , 2 Intersectional factors are highly relevant to COVID-19, including how social inequalities shaped by race, gender, place, and socio-economic status may be relevant to the patient’s presenting illness, risk, and recovery. Courses that involve the study of community and preventative medicine should include a focus on the interaction between COVID-19 and the social determinants health, including, for example, how it shapes access to vaccination and anti-viral medications, co-morbid chronic illness, domestic violence, and access to health care.…”

“…Despite evidence that medical practice is slowly adapting to manage the considerable health effects of COVID-19, many teaching environments have not formally integrated COVID-19 into their curriculum. [1][2][3] There is a need for COVID-19 specific education and curriculum development, and for the evolving scientific knowledge base to be shared globally across medical schools. 4 This is because the magnitude of illness and risk for mortality associated with the novel COVID-19 virus requires that all students have the capacity to integrate COVID-19 learning into their clinical practice and reasoning, decision making, and patient management.…”

“…4 This is because the magnitude of illness and risk for mortality associated with the novel COVID-19 virus requires that all students have the capacity to integrate COVID-19 learning into their clinical practice and reasoning, decision making, and patient management. [1][2][3]…”