The<unk> , formally known as<unk>  in the medical field, or termed presenting<unk>  (PC) in Europe and Canada, forms the second step of medical history taking. It is sometimes also referred to as reason for encounter (RFE), presenting problem, problem on admission or reason for presenting. The<unk>  is a concise statement describing the symptom, problem, condition, diagnosis, physician-recommended return, or other reason for a medical encounter. In some instances, the nature of a patient's<unk>  may determine if services are covered by health insurance. When obtaining the<unk> , medical students are advised to use open-ended questions. Once the presenting problem is elucidated, a history of present illness can be done using acronyms such as SOCRATES or OPQRST to further analyze the severity, onset and nature of the presenting problem. The patient's initial comments to a physician, nurse, or other health care professionals are important for formulating differential diagnoses.
Chief complaint
History of the present illness
Accident-proneness
Indication 
Risk factor
Tolerated illness
History of neuroscience
Deemed status