ABSTRACT

Mr George Winters is rushed to the emergency unit of a hospital near his house. He complained of severe chest pain and then fell unconscious. At the emergency unit, his wife could barely speak from shock, but she did mention that he had said something about experiencing chest pains before he passed out. Both the nurses and the doctors noted this as a crucial cue, which indicated a possible heart attack. Mr Winters was lucky enough to survive such an episode and, following a series of examinations, the diagnosis was indeed a heart attack. His wife provided the attending doctor with a brief medical, family and social history of her husband. The doctor waited for Mr Winters to wake up and feel strong enough to talk, in order to get fi rst-hand information about his history. The doctor manages to speak to his patient two days after the incident.