EMTs ask patients a structured set of questions to quickly assess the situation and provide appropriate care, using mnemonics like SAMPLE and OPQRST. They start with introductory and consent questions like what is your name, what happened, can you tell me what is wrong, and can I help you. They ask about chief complaint like what is your main problem today. They use OPQRST to detail symptoms, asking onset as when did this start, provocation or palliation as what makes it better or worse, quality as what does it feel like, radiation as does pain spread anywhere, severity as on a scale of 1 to 10 how bad is it, and time as how long has it lasted. They ask SAMPLE history questions, including signs and symptoms as what symptoms do you have, allergies as do you have any allergies to medicines or foods, medications as what medications are you taking, past medical history as do you have any medical conditions or past surgeries, last oral intake as when did you last eat or drink, and events leading up as what were you doing when this started. They also ask about age, past similar episodes, last menstrual period if relevant, and whether patient wants transport. They ask in a calm, clear, empathetic way, using open-ended questions and avoiding jargon to gather accurate information for treatment and hospital handoff.
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