SAMPLE & OPQRST

Question 1

S

Answer 1

Signs & Symptoms - “What kind of pain are you in? What other pains are related to it?”

Example - Have you been vomiting? Is it bloody or just food particles?

Question 2

A

Answer 2

Allergies - Allergic to any medications or foods.

Question 3

M

Answer 3

Medicine - “What medications are you currently taking? Under counter, over counter, social drugs, illicit drugs.”

Bonus note - A de-escalation tactic for an offended patient is explaining how the question is asked to everyone. This could pertain to their current condition for every bit of information helps.

Question 4

P

Answer 4

Past medical history - Involves medical conditions or surgical histories

Question 5

L

Answer 5

Last oral intake - “When was the last time you had anything to eat or drink?”

Question 6

E

Answer 6

Events leading up to call - “What were you doing when it started?” “What lead up to the complaint?”

Question 7

O

Answer 7

Onset - “When did this all begin?”

Question 8

P

Answer 8

Provocation - “What makes this worse”
Palliation - “What makes this better?”

Question 9

Q

Answer 9

Quality - Adjectives to describe the pain or symptoms.

Question 10

R

Answer 10

Radiation - “Is the pain spreading out, has it moved from place to place, is it just in the one location it began?”

Question 11

S

Answer 11

Severity - “On a scale of 1-10, how much does this the pain hurt?”

Question 12

T

Answer 12

Time - “How has this changed since it began?”