Obtaining a Medical History and Vital Signs

Obtaining a Medical History and Vital Signs

By Lolita Cuti

SAMPLE tool

S - Signs and Symptoms ​

A - Allergies

M - Medications

P - Past Pertinent Medical History

L - Last oral intake

E​ - Events leading to illness or injury

What questions might you ask to fulfill all the of the above requirements? ​

Fill in the Blanks

Multiple Choice

"What were you doing when the pain started?"

What part of SAMPLE would the above question answer?

• Medication

• Allergies

• Signs/Symptoms

• Events leading to illness or injury

Multiple Choice

"Has this ever happened before, have you ever experienced this type of pain?"

What part of SAMPLE would be answered by the above question?

• signs and symptoms

• Past pertinent medical history

• last oral intake

• events leading to illness or injury

Vitals:

​Respirations: Check for rate, depth, and ease

Adult - 10-30 Breaths per minute

Take arm as if you are going to check pulse and fold across body. This allows you to determine respirations without patient altering breaths

One breath in and out counts as one respiration. ​