This is not exactly essential news, but we wanted to pass it along. MedPage Today reported on, and interviewed the author of, a study that found: People who answered in a questionnaire that they had previously had psoriasis, pretty much said the same thing two years later. Of course, that also means if they remembered it wrongly the first time, then they likely will still remember it wrongly two years later.

Why does it matter? Health care practitioners like to know a patient’s history when assessing diagnoses and treatment options. But if people misremember, then that history is of no use, or even counterproductive.

In this study, people with a different skin disease had trouble remembering their patient history consistently. So kudos, psoriasis patients!

The next study should ask patients whose past medical records are available. Then we could know that their memories are consistently … correct.

[Last updated 10-24-2021]