Chest pain history-taking station

A chest pain history is one of the most common — and most safety-critical — PLAB 2 history-taking stations. The examiner is watching whether you can quickly distinguish a benign cause from a life-threatening one while still consulting like a human being.

How to structure it

• Open with a broad question and let the patient describe the pain before narrowing down.
• Characterise the pain fully: site, onset, character, radiation, timing, severity and what changes it.
• Actively screen for red flags — exertional pain, radiation to the arm or jaw, breathlessness, sweating, syncope.
• Cover cardiac risk factors and relevant past, drug and family history.
• Explore ideas, concerns and expectations, then summarise back.

Common pitfalls

• Jumping to closed questions before hearing the story.
• Forgetting to exclude dangerous causes before reassuring.
• Running out of time and skipping safety-netting.

What examiners reward is safe, structured data gathering paired with clear communication — and a sensible, prioritised differential rather than a long undifferentiated list.