Question

While assessing the past medical history of a​ 68-year-old male patient involved in a fall from a​ 4-foot stepladder, you use the acronym SAMPLE. What does the A refer​ to?

Answer 1

The 'A' in the SAMPLE acronym stands for 'Allergies'. It is essential for healthcare providers to know a patient's allergies to avoid adverse reactions during treatment.

Step-by-step explanation:

The acronym SAMPLE is a mnemonic used by emergency medical personnel to obtain a patient's past medical history. The letter A in SAMPLE stands for Allergies. This includes any allergic reactions the patient may have to medications, food, insects, or other substances.

Knowledge of allergies is critical in a clinical setting as it impacts the types of medications or treatments that can be safely administered to the patient. For example, if the 68-year-old male patient who fell from a stepladder had a known allergy to penicillin.

This would be crucial information for the medical team to avoid administering that type of antibiotic. In the context of the SAMPLE history, the other letters stand for Symptoms (S), Medications (M), Past medical history (P), Last oral intake (L), and Events leading up to the present injury or illness (E).