ABSTRACT: Good mnemonic systems keep us from missing important patient assessment steps and questions. The SAMPLE interview mnemonic is a reasonably helpful mnemonic system for obtaining patient information.

Signs & Symptoms reported by the patient.
Allergies
Medications
Past Medical History
Last Oral Intake
Events leading to this episode of injury or illness.

All this information is vital to assessing and treating any patient. But, obtaining a complete and accurate SAMPLE history, in the most rapid manner, requires providers to use very specific questioning techniques.

Unfortunately, no core curriculum texts (or programs) adequately train Prehospital or Inhospital emergency medical personnel about precisely how to interview people! In fact, to my knowledge, the only medical personnel who are adequately trained to interview someone, are care providers who enter psychiatric medicine! (Why do I know this? Because long before I worked in EMS, I worked as a psychiatric-care-technician for a State psychiatric facility.)

Due to all the above, this presentation is appropriate and important for both Prehospital and Inhospital emergency care providers, of all "certification" levels.

This entertaining and eye-opening presentation begins by Charly thoroughly explaining the genesis and rationale for her "THREE GOLDEN RULES" of interviewing patients:

1. "GOLDEN RULE #1"
   Avoid "closed-ended-questions" when interviewing patients about anything!

2. "GOLDEN RULE #2"
   Use the patient's words, and only the patient's words, when referring to - or reporting - the patient's complaints.

3. "GOLDEN RULE #3"
   Denial = Positive Confirmation. If a patient denies complaints involving a specific area/function, require him to confirm that there is "nothing wrong" with that area/function.

The bulk of this presentation is devoted to a step-by-step progression through the SAMPLE mnemonic - identifying how to apply the "Three Golden Rules" of interview QUESTION TECHNIQUES to each step of the patient interview process.

If time permits, a variety of Patient Scenarios are utilized to demonstrate the improved SAMPLE interview techniques - both medical and trauma scenarios.

Because this program is intensive - the SAMPLE mnemonic is rather "long" - a minimum of 2 to 3 hours of instruction is preferred (with a 15 minute break between "Part 1" and "Part 2"). If a shorter Patient Interview program is desired, plz consider my "Magic Medication Questions" program, instead.

The "Magic Medication Questions" presentation is part of a FULL "SAMPLE Interview Secrets" presentation. But, when offered separately, it also contains the basic "Rules" for successful patient interview techniques.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
After attending the SAMPLE Interview Secrets presentation, participants will have:

1. developed a keen understanding of how "Open-Ended-Questions" yield much more accurate and complete patient information - faster!
2. developed a keen understanding of how important it is to "use the patient's words," and only the patient's words when referring to - or reporting - the patient's complaints.
3. learned how to "use the patient's words" throughout every step of the SAMPLE mnemonic.
4. developed a keen understanding of how important it is to avoid questions that "lead" the patient to complain of symptoms that may not exist.
5. developed a keen understanding of how important it is to use "denial" to "positively confirm" the absence of patient complaints.
6. developed an understanding of how the so frequently-asked, "traditional," medication questions lead to incomplete information or misinformation.
7. learned the four primary "Magic Medication Questions," and will understand how these kinds of questions significantly improve information gathering.
8. learned how to use "Open-Ended-Questions," how to avoid "leading" the patient, and how to use the "Denial = Positive Confirmation" technique throughout every step of the SAMPLE mnemonic.
9. learned the importance of "patient privacy" when questioning patients about medications (or when questioning a patient about any subject, for that matter)!
10. developed a keen understanding of optimal techniques for interviewing patients about anything - enabling them to compose personally-developed, equally-effective, "Open-Ended-Questions" or "Magic Medication Questions" specific to each and every patient they may ever encounter.

1. The outline for this presentation significantly varies from program to program.
   Charly will design an outline specifically to meet YOUR needs and requests.

The "current-draft" of the handout that accompanies my SAMPLE Interview Secrets program
Can Be Read HERE!

Email Charly at: c-d-miller@neb.rr.com
Those are hyphens/dashes between the "c" and "d" and "miller"

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