By definition a patient history is the process of gathering pertinent data from a patient. This includes questions about their injury, where it occurred, when, what were they doing before the incident and why were placed in care of this medical facility. The patient history is one of the most important aspects that a medical assistant will ask for. The reason being is it helps to determine the overall health of the patient. The more pertinent information that is obtained from the patient will help in determining whether or not he/she will be scheduled for an appointment.