Heart Education Awareness Resource and Training through eLearning (HEARTe)

Dillon attends the GP

Dillon has been telling his GP about his new symptoms. The GP suspects the symptoms may be due to AF and so uses a focused approach to establish Dillon’s symptoms.

Dillon has been telling his GP about his new symptoms. The GP suspects AF and so uses a focused approach to establish Dillon’s symptoms.

  • GP (thought bubble) – Aware of heart palpitations
  • GP – Dillon, how often are you aware of your heart beating and how long does it normally last for?
  • Dillon – It has been happening about once a week and it can last for about an hour. I feel anxious when it occurs.
  • GP – How aware are you of your heart beat, can you tap it out?
  • (Dillon taps out his pulse)
  • GP (thought bubble) – Chest pain
  • GP – Have you been experiencing any chest pain?
  • Dillon – No, I feel a bit uncomfortable when the palpitations are there but it’s not tight or painful.
  • GP (thought bubble) – Dizzyness or syncope
  • GP – Do you ever feel light-headed or feel like you could pass out?
  • Dillon – When I have one of these episodes, I have to stop what I”m doing and I feel dizzy.
  • GP (thought bubble) Exhausted
  • GP – Have you noticed any change in your well-being, in particular, do you feel more tired than you would do normally?
  • Dillon – On a day-to-day basis I manage normally, however after these episodes I feel washed out for an hour or so.

Pulse point

Using a methodical focussed approach when taking the patient history helps to determine the most likely cause and helps to avoid jumping to early conclusions that may be wrong. It is important to engage the patient in a variety of communication methods as it is often difficult to articulate symptoms.

Consider your own area of practice and refer to: Bickley, L.,S.(2013) Bates Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking. Philadelphia. Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott & Wilkins for further reading. Other common mnemonic acronyms which help to focus the history include: SOCRATES & OLDCART. You can learn more about applying these in practice scenarios within Modules 3, 4 and 5 of HEARTe.

Page last reviewed: 29 Jul 2020