Taking a comprehensive health history: learning through practice and reflection.

Abstract

Taking a comprehensive health history is a core competency of the advanced nursing role. The purpose of the health history is to source important and intimate knowledge about the patient and allow the nurse and patient to establish a therapeutic relationship. Reflective practice, a core value of nursing in Ireland, means learning from experience. This article demonstrates how a recorded comprehensive health history simulation, coupled with reflection, provided insight into an advanced nurse practitioner's history-taking skills, thereby enhancing clinical practice.