OPQRST

OPQRST is used for the history taking section of patient assessments.

O	Onset What was the patient doing when the signs and symptoms first occurred? Was the onset sudden or gradual?
P	Provocation / Palliation Is there anything that makes the symptom better or worse?
Q	Quality Description of what the patient is feeling. For example, the pain can be described as dull, sharp, crushing, aching, tearing, throbbing, etc.
R	Region / Radiation Where is the pain located and does it move to another part of the body?
S	Severity How severe is the symptom based on a scale of 1 to 10?
T	Time When did the signs and symptoms first occur?

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