EXAM1/CH4- General Interview + Examination Skills Flashcards
what is important during the general interview
to be as detailed as possible throughout
-everything the patient mentions is important, don’t assume ANYTHING
what does the general interview do
establish baseline
is the general interview confidential
yes
should you assume the patient is referred based on the reason for referral listed
NO
-don’t always assume the patient knows why they were referred
general interview topics (7)
-reason for referral
-demographic information
-history of present illness (HPI)
-current medications/allergies
-past medical history
-family history
-social history
interview demographics
-age
-sex + ethnicity
-also includes medical history
in the interview, what is age a predictor of
independent predictor of survival in almost every cardiopulmonary condition
in the interview, why is sex + ethnicity important
there are certain diseases that are more prevalent in males vs females, same with sex, ethnicity, etc.
-this is called the “scope of the disease”
scope of the disease
areas where the disease is more prevalent- like gender, ethnicity, etc.
HPI
history of present illness
history of present illness (HPI)
-record + convey information that led to the referral
-chief complaint + manifestations
-symptoms (OPQRSTA)
-objective (medical record) vs. subjective (patient)
HPI- differentiate signs vs. symptoms
signs: things you can see (ex: patient is pale)
symptoms: NOT things you can see, things the patient is reporting to you (ex: pain)
in HPI, do objective (medical record) + subjective (patient) always match
no
what is objective of the HPI
medical record
what is subjective of the HPI
patient
HPI- how do we characterize symptoms
OPQRSTA
OPQRSTA
onset
provocation + palliation
quality
region + radiation
severity
timing
associated signs + symptoms
when characterizing symptoms (OPQRSTA) on the HPI, what is the first thing you must do
identify the chief complaint
-we complete OPQRSTA based on the chief complaint
OPQRSTA- onset
the very first occurrence of the chief complaint
OPQRSTA- provocation
things that make the symptom worse
OPQRSTA- palliation
things that make the symptom better/go away
OPQRSTA- quality
ADJECTIVES, look for adjectives/words that describe the chief complaint
(ex: severe, dull, aching, tingling, burning, stinging, intense)
OPQRSTA- region
anatomical region of the body where symptom occurs
OPQRSTA- radiation
does it occur anywhere else?
OPQRSTA- severity
be careful with how we define severity because it can be subjective
-try to quantify the severity using scale 1-10
-“given your symptom on the scale 1-10 how bad is it right now”
-this isn’t perfect because symptoms fluctuate, so also ask how bad it is when 1-10 when it is at its BEST + WORST
for severity on OPQRSTA, how many values should we get
3
-1-10 how bad is it right now
-1-10 how bad is it at its worst
-1-10 how bad is it at its best
if you don’t get 3 values for severity on OPQRSTA, what do you do
it is okay to use other information to estimate or substitute for severity if we don’t have all 3 values
-in the real world you won’t always have access to the patient
OPQRSTA- timing
what is the most recent event related to the chief complain
-we want to know WHEN it occurred + WHAT occurred
-don’t confuse this with onset
OPQRSTA- associated signs + symptoms
include ANY other information here
-ex: patient says pain is so bad it causes them to vomit
OPQRSTA example- LBP
ONSET- 60 days ago
PROVOCATION/PALLIATION-
Increased pain when bending/lifting
Decreased pain when sitting or using hot/cold pack
QUALITY-
Sharp with movement
Dull ache while sitting
REGION/RADIATION-
Middle region of lumbar spine radiating up into thoracic spine
SEVERITY- Highest = 9/10 Lowest = 4/10
TIMING- worsened while lifting 50 lb bag of bird seed 3 days ago
ASSOCIATED S&S: hunched over due to stiffness and pain
interview medications + allergies- what to include for cucrent medications
-medication name (generic vs brand)
-dosage (be sure to indicate correct units)
-administration route (enteral vs parenteral)
-time (when to take medicine, morning/evening/etc.)
enteral vs parenteral
enteral- orally, through digestive system (pill, feeding tube, etc.)
parenteral- through bloodstream (IV)
interview medications + allergies- what to include for allergies
-allergy name (could be food, medication, environment, etc.)
-reaction (hives, closed airway, rash, etc.)
interview medications + allergies- drug purpose
DO NOT confer new functions but rather attentuate, accentuate, or replace a response
interview medications + allergies- desired effect vs. side effect
-all medications have 2 effects: desired effect + side effect
-desired effect: medication is doing what it is supposed to
-side effect: any other causes the drug has, not all side effects are bad
interview medications + allergies- medical reconciliation
-compare the medications that patients state they are taking against their medical records
-THIS SHOULD HAPPEN EVERY TIME YOU SEE THE PATIENT, ALWAYS DO THIS
-“have you had any changes in your medical history?”
how frequently should medical reconciliation be done
EVERY TIME you see the patient
exercise + drug absorption
-medications can affect the heart rate response at rest or during exercise
-blood redistribution during exercise is significant
-can result in shunting of blood away from important drug absorption + metabolism sites
-blood flow during exercise, is also redistributed to the skin; important for patients with transdermal medications
3 important drug absorption + metabolism sites
-liver
-kidneys
-GI tract
how is liver important in drug absorption/metabolism
main organ responsible for drug metabolism
how are kidneys important in drug absorption/metabolism
main organ for drug elimination
how is GI tract important for drug absorption/metabolism
drug absorption
(this is all the slide said)
when someone is exercising, what happens with blood/drug absorption
when someone exercises, blood is redistributed to the periphery, so if a medication affects internal organs, it might not absorb well
-therefore we must plan our exercise testing or PT exercise around the times they take this medication
important question to ask patient about medication
DID YOU TAKE YOUR MEDICATION TODAY?
interview- medical history
this is everything OUTSIDE OF THE CHIEF COMPLAINT
-past medical problems
-focus on problems that may have potential to influence ability to exercise test or train
medical history- musculoskeletal probelms that may influence ability to exercise test/train
-LBP
-gout
-joint issues
medical history- neurologic probelms that may influence ability to exercise test/train
-cerebrovascular disease
-stroke
-dementia
medical history- respiratory probelms that may influence ability to exercise test/train
-asthma
-obstructive lung disease
interview- family history
-restrict to FIRST-DEGREE relatives (parents, siblings, + offspring)
-identify relevant heritable disorders (certain cancers, adult diabetes, familial hypercholesterolemia, coronary heart disease after age 55 in men + 65 in women)
interview family history- what are some heritable disorders we should look out for
-certain cancers
-adult diabetes
-familial hypercholesterolemia
-coronary heart disease after age 55 in men + 65 in women
interview- social history
-social
-inquire about tobacco, alcohol, illicit drugs
-nutrition patterns + habits
-sleep habits + snoring
-leisure activities
-prior + current exercise habits
interview- other ideas
-marital status
-transportation
-occupation
this is the END of the interview portion
examination- general state
-abnormal findings?
-patient complains?
-general observation (does patient appear comfortable/distressed? anxious? healthy or frail? well nourished or undernourished?)
**see slide 15
examination- BP, HR, + respiratory rate
-collect vitals during EVERY appointment with the patient, even if you are doing just the interview
-vitals tell us a lot about the current state of the person, are relatively noninvasive, + easy to get so no reason not to
how frequently should you collect vitals (BP, HR, respiratory rate)
every appointment
examination- BP
know how to classify BP (found on following cards)
-pay attention to and/or
normal BP
systolic less than 120
AND
diastoic less than 80
prehypertension BP
systolic 120-139
OR
diastolic 80-89
what is 120/80 classified as
prehypertensive
stage 1 hypertension BP
systolic 140-159
OR
diastolic 90-99
stage 2 hypertension BP
systolic greater than or = 160
OR
diastolic greater than or = 100
HR- unexplained tachycardia
greater than 100 bpm
HR- unexplained bradycardia
less than 40 bpm