Recalling pain and other symptoms.

Questions relating to symptoms are an important ingredient in many surveys of health status. Yet, the understanding of mechanisms for the recall of pain, and the cognitive aspects of memory for pain and other symptoms, have eluded investigators. Even within limits imposed by current imperfect knowledge of the physiology of pain, more collaborative research on recall would improve the completeness and accuracy of clinical diagnostic interviews, insurance adjudications, morbidity statistics, and health survey interviews.