You are the emergency department nurse obtaining a health history from a patient who has earlier told the triage nurse that she is experiencing intermittent abdominal pain. What question should you ask to elicit the probable reason for the visit and identify her chief complaint?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The chief complaint should clearly address what has brought the patient to see the health care provider; an open-ended question best serves this purpose. The question What brings you to the hospital? allows the patient sufficient latitude to provide an answer that expresses the priority issue. Focusing solely on abdominal pain would be too specific to serve as the first question regarding the chief complaint.
Asking, What is wrong with you today? is an open-ended question but still directs the patient toward the fact that there is a problem.

You Are the Emergency Department Nurse Obtaining a Health History