Usefulness of patient interview in bleeding disorders

Area of Science:

• Hematology
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• The diagnostic utility of medical interview questions for mild bleeding disorders is unclear.
• The overall effectiveness of interviews in screening for hemostatic disorders requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the most informative questions for diagnosing bleeding disorders.
• To evaluate the value of a medical interview in screening for hemostatic disorders.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire was administered to patients with and without bleeding disorders, and healthy volunteers.
• Univariate and multivariate odds ratios, and likelihood ratios were calculated for each question.
• Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis assessed interview effectiveness.

Main Results:

• Questions regarding family history of bleeding disorders and traumatic events were most informative.
• A simple interview demonstrated high discriminating power for screening purposes.
• Elaborate interviews showed low performance in a referred patient setting.

Conclusions:

• A simple interview is a valuable screening tool for dentists and surgeons.
• Medical interviews have limited utility for identifying bleeding disorders in referred hematology patients.