PQRST (prevent illness or health concerns)

Provokes

How did it come about? What might be the causes for the symptom? What makes it better or worse? Are there activities (e.g., exercise, sleep) that affect it?

Quality

What does the symptom feel like? (Have patients explain in their own words.) If the patient has difficulty in describing symptoms, offer probes (e.g., “Is the pain sharp? Dull?” or “Do you feel lightheaded, dizzy, off-balance?”). What does the illness or symptom mean to the patient?

Radiate

Where is the symptom located? Is it in one place? Does it go anywhere else? Have the patient be as precise as possible.

Severity

Ask the patient to rate the severity of a symptom on a scale of 0 to 10 (with no symptom at 0 and the worst intensity at 10). This gives you a baseline with which to compare in follow-up assessments.

Time

Assess the onset and duration of symptoms. When did the symptom first occur? Does it come and go? If so, how often and for how long? What time of day or on what day of the week does it occur?