SOCRATES - taking patient history

Question 1

What does the S stand for?

Answer 1

Site where is pain.

Question 2

What does the O stand for?

Answer 2

Onset - is it a sudden onset (happens randomly) or is it chronic pain (all the time).

Question 3

What does the C stand for?

Answer 3

Character - What does the pain feel like, e.g. Stabbing pain in angina or toothache.

Question 4

What does the R stand for?

Answer 4

Radiates - does the pain spread to other locations sometimes?

Question 5

What does the A stand for?

Answer 5

Associated symptoms, for example, is there any vomiting?

Question 6

What does the T stand for?

Answer 6

Timing - how long have they had the pain and how long do pain episodes last if it is a sudden onset.

Question 7

What does the E stand for?

Answer 7

Exacerbating factors and relieving factors - what factors make the pain worse and what factors make the pain better. Eg. lying down, clenching jaw etc.

Question 8

What does the last S stand for?

Answer 8

Severity - Ask the patient to rate the pain on a scale of 1-10.