Quick answer
What can I ask in this scenario?
Ask what the patient tends to worry about and whether they can control it, whether they have physical symptoms like muscle tension or insomnia, how long this has been going on, how it's affecting work or relationships, and what they've already tried.
“What kinds of things do you find yourself worrying about, and can you control it?”
Communication context
A realistic patient scenario
Imagine this consultation: A patient describes months of constant worry about everyday things, along with muscle tension and trouble sleeping. Your task is to explore the history in natural English without overwhelming the patient with clinical jargon.
- Clinical area
- Family Medicine
- Your focus
- Clear, patient-friendly history taking
The clinical detail gives the language a realistic setting. This guide teaches communication, not diagnosis or treatment.
Useful questions for this scenario
Natural English questions, grouped by purpose
These are selected questions for this particular practice case. They are not an exhaustive clinical checklist.
The symptom story
“What kinds of things do you find yourself worrying about, and can you control it?”
Purpose: Understand what the patient worries about and whether the worry feels controllable.
Why this wording
Asking whether the worry feels controllable, not just what it's about, gets at the specific feature that distinguishes ordinary worry from the kind that's hard to switch off — without using a clinical label.
“How many months has this been going on?”
Purpose: Ask how many months this has been going on.
“How is this affecting your work or relationships?”
Purpose: Ask how the worry is affecting work, relationships, or daily routines.
Associated symptoms
“Have you noticed any muscle tension, or trouble falling or staying asleep?”
Purpose: Ask about physical symptoms that often go along with ongoing worry, like muscle tension or trouble sleeping.
Why this wording
Splitting sleep into ‘falling asleep’ and ‘staying asleep’ captures two different sleep problems that patients often experience differently.
Health background
“Have you tried anything to manage this, like medication or alcohol?”
Purpose: Ask what the patient has already tried to manage this, including alcohol or other substances.
Why this wording
Naming alcohol as one possible coping method, gently and without judgment, makes it easier for a patient to mention it than if you asked only about ‘medication.’
Put the phrases together
Move from open to focused questions
- Open
“Could you tell me more about what has been happening?”
- Focus
Choose a relevant question from the groups above.
- Check
“Is there anything else about this that you think I should know?”
Language note: Short, direct questions are often easier to answer. Ask one idea at a time, then follow the patient's wording when you need more detail.
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Publication notes
About this guide
- Based on a simulated Bedside English clinical scenario.
- Phrases are selected and edited for patient-friendly clinical communication.
- Last editorial update: .