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Medical History

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Initial patient assessment – Medical History

A hospital or community centre baseline assessment is required to ascertain:

If the patient is safe to exercise at home without supervision
Baseline measures of exercise capacity and quality of life

This assessment includes a detailed medical history, necessary to prescribe an appropriate program:

Respiratory diagnosis
Respiratory history
Smoking history
Results of relevant investigations (including spirometry*, CT scans, CXR, blood gases, ECG)
Medications (including oxygen therapy)
Current exercise routine
Musculoskeletal conditions (including falls risk)
Neurological conditions
Continence issues
Body Mass Index (BMI = weight (kg) ÷ height2 (m))
Social / psychological issues

*Perform spirometry, if possible, if recent results not available

Results from the medical history may indicate the need for the following referrals or follow up:

Smoking cessation
Nutritional support
Continence
Anxiety and depression
Airway clearance
Treatment of musculoskeletal/neurological conditions

The information on this website is not to be relied upon by an individual in substitution for advice by a health care professional who has regard for the individual’s circumstances, nor in substitution for the relationship between a patient, or website visitor, and their doctor or physiotherapist.

Development of the HomeBase program was supported by the following organisations