3.5.2  A — Ask the clients about themselves

• Help them to talk about their needs, doubts, concerns and any questions they might have.
• If they are new, use a standard checklist or form from your Health Management Information system to write down their name and age, marital status, number of pregnancies, number of births, number of living children, current and past family planning use, and basic medical history.
• Explain that you are asking for this information in order to help you to provide appropriate information, so that they can choose the family planning method which is the best for them.
• Keep questions simple and brief, and look at her/them as you speak.
• Many people do not know the names of diseases or medical conditions. Ask them specific questions. Say, ‘Have you had any headaches in the past two weeks?’, or ‘Have you had any genital itching?’, or ‘Do you experience any pain when urinating?’ Do not say, ‘Have you had any diseases in the recent past’.
• If you have seen the client(s) previously, ask if anything has changed since the last visit.