> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.elationhealth.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# 2026-08-03

This release documents an existing table rather than adding a new one: `patient_history`, the entries recorded in the History section of a patient's chart.

## Documentation Updates

| Table            | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| patient\_history | Entries recorded in the History section of a patient's chart - past medical and surgical history, social history, habits, family history, smoking status, and health maintenance notes. Already present in your Hosted Database; now documented with full column descriptions and an article. |

***

## Release Highlights

**patient\_history**

`patient_history` has been in your Hosted Database all along, but had no article and no column descriptions. Both are now in place: every column is described in the [Hosted Database schema](/articles/hdb/schema), and the new [patient\_history](/articles/hdb/patient-history) article covers the entry types with example queries.

The `type` column identifies which kind of entry a row holds. Two of its values overlap with dedicated tables.

`type = 'Maintenance'` rows are health maintenance **notes** typed into the chart. Completed preventive care measures, with their measure codes and result flags, are in [health\_maintenance](/articles/hdb/health-maintenance) instead. Likewise `type = 'Immunization'` rows are free-text notes rather than administered vaccines, which are in `patient_immunization`.

`type = 'Family'` covers two different things. Structured family history entries populate `relationship_type`, plus `icd9_id` or `snomed_id` where the clinician selected a code. Free-text notes filed under family history leave `relationship_type` null. Filter on `relationship_type is not null` when you want only the structured entries.

Deleted entries are retained with `deletion_time` set, so filter on `deletion_time is null` for the entries currently visible in the chart.

*If you have any questions about this topic please reach out to [Elation Support Portal](/articles/support-portal-introduction) with the subject line HDB - \<your\_question>*