CORNELL MEDICAL INDEX-HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE

Abstract

It is desirable that physicians seeing outpatients in a general hospital have available a technique of rapidly eliciting a comprehensive medical history to aid in identifying patients who require not only investigation of their presenting symptom but general medical care as well. This communication describes the usefulness of the Cornell Medical Index-Health Questionnaire in identifying patients requiring general medical investigation. DESCRIPTION OF HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE The Cornell Medical Index-Health Questionnaire, (C. M. I.) is a four-page self-administered form that collects a detailed and comprehensive medical history. On it are printed 195 questions, which the patient answers by circling a yes or a no after each. The data collected are accurate 1 and significant, yielding comprehensive diagnostic interpretations of the somatic 2 and psychiatric 3 aspects of the patient's total medical problem. The C. M. I. can usually be examined and interpreted in less than two minutes. METHOD The sample studied was