ABSTRACT
As clinicians we have a vast array of tools at our disposal to evaluate for presence or absence of pathology in patients with potential gastrointestinal (GI) disease. It can be postulated that amongst the most important tools in the armamentarium available to us as clinicians, the patient’s history and physical examination are among the most critical. Everything else typically flows from the historical and examination data obtained about the patient. This information provides direction and hones the areas that must be explored or may be ignored.
