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Cardiovascular Emergencies SAMPLE COURSE
OPQRST
As part of collecting a medical history for a patient with a
suspected cardiac condition, you will focus on the character of
his or her specific complaints such as pain or discomfort. OPQRST
is an excellent tool for assuring a thorough medical history. It
helps define the patient's complaint which will assist in assessment.
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Elaboration — OPQRST
OPQRST
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| Onset |
What was patient doing when the pain started? |
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| Provocation |
What makes it better or worse? |
- inspiration
- palpation
- movement
- walking
- working
- exercise
- eating
- swallowing
- position
- antacids
- nothing
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| Quality |
Can you describe it?
What does it feel like? |
- local tenderness
- sharp
- squeezing
- dull
- pressing
- pressure
- crampy
- burning
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| Radiation |
Where do you feel it?
Where does it go? |
localized point discomfort
chest pain radiates to arm, jaw or upper back
all over |
| Severity |
How bad is it on a scale of 1 to 10? |
10 (ten being the worst)
0 (nothing hurts) |
| Time |
When did the pain begin? |
about 2 hours ago |
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