PMH Means Past Medical History in a Medical Chart
PMH stands for past medical history. It is a common heading or shorthand in clinical documentation for health information from before the current problem or visit.
A PMH may include previous illnesses, chronic conditions, hospitalizations, operations, injuries, allergies or other relevant background. The exact contents vary because many records separate surgery, family history, social history, medications and allergies into their own sections.
Where PMH fits in a chart
Educational definition: this page explains medical terminology and chart structure. It cannot determine what a clinician meant in your personal record if the surrounding note uses PMH differently or contains incomplete information.
What does PMH stand for in medical terms?
PMH stands for “past medical history.” The National Cancer Institute’s SEER abbreviation reference lists PMH as past medical history, and NCBI MedGen identifies “PMH – past medical history” as a synonym for the clinical concept “Past medical history.”
What information can be included in past medical history?
Past medical history is broader than a list of old diagnoses. NCBI’s Clinical Methods describes major elements such as childhood and adult illnesses, operations, trauma, allergies or drug sensitivities, immunizations and health-maintenance information. NCBI MedGen also describes PMH as potentially including major illnesses, hospitalizations, surgeries, injuries, allergies and other personal or family history relevant to care.
How those details are organized depends on the chart. Many modern notes place surgery, family history, social history, medications and allergies in separate fields even though they are all part of the broader history-taking process.
Past and ongoing conditions
Examples can include established chronic illnesses, important prior diagnoses and significant previous diseases that may matter to current care.
Hospitalizations and major events
Previous admissions, serious injuries, major medical events and relevant treatment history may be documented as part of the background.
Operations and other history
Operations, allergies, drug sensitivities, immunizations and preventive-health information may be included or placed in their own dedicated sections.
Chart-format nuance: there is no single universal PMH layout. If the same form has separate boxes for PSH, medications, allergies, FH or SH, use those dedicated fields rather than assuming everything belongs under PMH.
PMH vs HPI, PSH, FH, SH and Hx
These abbreviations often appear close together because they describe different parts of a patient’s history. The distinction is useful, but clinical documentation is flexible: a past condition that is directly relevant to the current complaint may be discussed in the HPI instead of being left only in the PMH section.
| Abbreviation | Meaning | What it usually covers | How it differs from PMH |
|---|---|---|---|
| PMH | Past medical history | Relevant prior or established health background. | This is the reference point: the patient’s medical background before or apart from the current problem. |
| HPI | History of present illness | The story, timing and development of the current problem. | HPI focuses on what is happening now; PMH focuses on previous or established health history. |
| PSH | Past surgical history | Previous operations and procedures. | Some charts separate operations into PSH; broader histories may include them under PMH. |
| FH | Family history | Health conditions and risk patterns in relatives. | FH is about family members; PMH is primarily about the patient’s own health background. |
| SH | Social history | Lifestyle, occupation, living situation, tobacco/alcohol exposure and other social factors as relevant. | SH describes social and behavioral context rather than the patient’s disease history alone. |
| Hx | History | A general shorthand for history, often qualified by another term. | Hx is broad; PMH is a specific type of history. |
Why the boundary can move: Clinical Methods notes that a past diagnosis closely tied to the current problem may be discussed in the HPI. A remote event unrelated to the present complaint may remain in PMH. The location in the note reflects clinical relevance as well as chronology.
How PMH may look in a medical note
The examples below are hypothetical. They show how the abbreviation is commonly read, not how to interpret any specific patient’s record.
| Example note | Plain-language reading | Important caution |
|---|---|---|
| PMH: hypertension, asthma | The recorded past medical history includes hypertension and asthma. | It does not by itself tell you whether either condition is causing today’s symptoms. |
| PMH significant for diabetes | Diabetes is a notable part of the documented medical background. | “Significant for” means worth noting in context; it is not a severity score. |
| No significant PMH | The note records no significant past medical history for that encounter. | Do not read this as proof that the person has never had any illness, procedure or health issue. |
| PMH/PSH reviewed | The clinician reviewed both medical and surgical history. | The details may appear elsewhere in the chart rather than in that sentence. |
Why clinicians ask about PMH
Past medical history provides context for clinical decisions. NCBI MedGen describes it as information that may be relevant to the presenting illness or to optimal clinical management. A prior condition can change how a current symptom is assessed, what risks need attention, or which parts of the record deserve closer review.
PMH is therefore not simply “old information.” It is background that helps a clinician understand the patient’s health over time. At the same time, an entry in PMH is not automatically an active diagnosis, a cause of the current problem or a recommendation for treatment.
When completing a history form
Use the form’s own categories. List the diagnoses, hospitalizations or other history it requests. If there are separate sections for operations, medications, allergies or family history, place information in those sections instead of duplicating or guessing.
If you do not remember an exact date
Do not invent one. Give an approximate year or age if the form allows, or tell the clinical team that the date is uncertain. Accuracy is more useful than false precision.
PMH and SNOMED CT code 417662000
NCBI MedGen maps the concept Past medical history to SNOMED CT concept 417662000. This is a terminology identifier for the concept “past medical history”; it is not a diagnosis code proving that a patient has a particular disease.
What the code represents
SNOMED CT is a clinical terminology maintained by SNOMED International. The code gives computer systems a standardized way to refer to the concept of past medical history.
Do not confuse terminology coding with diagnosis coding: a code for the concept “past medical history” is not the same thing as an ICD code for a disease or condition listed inside that history.
What PMH does not tell you by itself
Authoritative sources used for this PMH definition
Source note: definitions and coding details were checked against official or primary medical terminology resources on October 4, 2026. The article uses original explanatory wording rather than reproducing source text.
PMH medical abbreviation FAQs
What does PMH mean in medical terms?
PMH most commonly means past medical history in clinical documentation. It refers to relevant health information from before the current problem or as part of the patient’s established medical background.
What is included in PMH?
PMH can include prior illnesses, chronic conditions, hospitalizations, operations, injuries, allergies or drug sensitivities, immunizations and other relevant history. The exact contents vary because many charts separate surgery, medications, allergies, family history and social history into their own sections.
What is the difference between PMH and HPI?
PMH is past medical history. HPI is history of present illness, which describes the current problem and how it developed. A past condition that is directly relevant to the current complaint may also be discussed in the HPI.
What is the difference between PMH and PSH?
PMH covers medical history broadly, while PSH means past surgical history and focuses on previous operations or procedures. Some charts keep PSH separate; others include surgical history within a broader PMH.
What is the difference between PMH and family history?
PMH is primarily the patient’s own health history. Family history, often abbreviated FH, records relevant health information about relatives and possible inherited or shared risks.
What does “PMH significant for” mean?
It means the note is highlighting one or more parts of the patient’s past medical history as worth noting in that clinical context. The phrase does not by itself say how severe or active the condition is.
What does “no significant PMH” mean?
It generally means the note records no significant past medical history for that encounter. It should not be read as proof that the person has never had any illness, procedure or health issue.
Where might I see PMH in a medical record?
PMH commonly appears in history and physical notes, clinic notes, admission documentation, referrals, discharge records and patient history or intake forms.
Is PMH a diagnosis?
No. PMH is a documentation label for past medical history. Individual diagnoses may be listed inside the PMH, but the abbreviation itself is not a disease diagnosis.
Does past medical history have a SNOMED CT code?
Yes. NCBI MedGen maps “Past medical history” to SNOMED CT concept 417662000. That code identifies the terminology concept; it is not an ICD diagnosis code for a specific disease.
Can PMH ever mean something else?
The same letters can be reused in organization names or specialty-specific contexts. In general clinical charting, authoritative abbreviation references list PMH as past medical history, so the surrounding document should be checked if the context is unusual.
How to read PMH in your own record
Start with the full line or section heading, not the abbreviation alone. Then check whether the note also has separate HPI, PSH, FH, SH, medication or allergy sections. If a PMH entry is unclear, ask the clinician or health-records team what that specific entry means in the context of the complete chart.
Key takeaway: PMH is a chart abbreviation for past medical history. It describes medical background; it does not independently diagnose a condition or explain the current visit.