A systematic approach to gather information about the patient's body systems to identify any additional issues is called?

• A. Review of Systems (ROS)
• B. History of Present Illness (HPI)
• C. Past Medical History (PMHx)
• D. Past Surgical History (PSHx)

Answer: (A)

The question is testing the idea of a structured symptom check that scans multiple body systems to uncover problems the patient may not volunteer. The best answer is Review of Systems. This approach uses a standardized set of questions across various systems—general, HEENT, cardiovascular, respiratory, GI, GU, neuro, MSK, skin, and more—to identify any additional issues. It helps bring up complaints that aren’t part of the main problem and guides the clinician on what to ask next or examine more closely. It’s different from the History of Present Illness, which focuses on the current chief complaint’s onset, course, and specifics, or from Past Medical History and Past Surgical History, which relate to prior conditions and procedures rather than a comprehensive symptom check. ROS is subjective information gathered from the patient, either reported directly or via family, and can be documented as negative (no symptoms) or positive with details.