Triage and Emergency Assessment

ECG first, then troponin, then the diagnosis follows

A memory aid for separating unstable angina, NSTEMI and STEMI.

Understand, retain, weigh and communicate

A memory aid for the four elements of decision-making capacity.

Essential whenever the patient cannot give a reliable account

A memory aid for when and how to take a collateral history.

Confusion, Urea, Respiratory rate, Blood pressure, age 65

A mnemonic for scoring the severity of community acquired pneumonia.

A rule out test only, applied after a clinical probability score

A memory aid for when a D-dimer is useful and when it is not.

Score first, then D-dimer or ultrasound accordingly

A memory aid for the Wells score and the diagnostic pathway for DVT.

Clinical signs graded against percentage body weight loss

A memory aid for grading dehydration in a child.

What happened, why, and what damage was done

A memory aid for the multifactorial assessment of a patient who has fallen.

Six physiological parameters plus supplemental oxygen

A memory aid for the parameters of the national early warning score.

Onset, Provocation/Palliation, Quality, Region/Radiation, Severity, Time

A pain assessment mnemonic.

Score first, then D-dimer or CT pulmonary angiogram

A memory aid for the Wells score and the PE diagnostic pathway.

Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation

A mnemonic for structured clinical handover and escalation.

Site, Onset, Character, Radiation, Associations, Time course, Exacerbating factors, Severity

A mnemonic for taking a complete pain history.

Presenting complaint, history, past history, drugs, allergies, family, social, systems review

A memory aid for the structure of a full medical history.

Reflex, orthostatic or cardiac, with cardiac the one that kills

A memory aid for classifying syncope and identifying the dangerous causes.

The paediatric assessment triangle: appearance, breathing, circulation

A memory aid for the rapid assessment of an unwell child.