Approach To A Patient With Fatigue Mnemonic

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Here is a quick mnemonic “APROACH TO FATIGUE“ to remember about Approach To A Patient With Fatigue

This can be valuable for patients as well as medical doctors, nurses & students doing their clinical rounds. You can also find it very useful for med exams like USMLE, NEET PG, FMGE, NExT & NCLEX exams

Approach To A Patient With Fatigue : How To Remember Easily ?

  • A – Assess detailed history to define the syndrome and direct further evaluation and treatment.
  • P – Pay attention to associated symptoms, pattern, and time course of fatigue.
  • P – Probe for acute or chronic symptoms and determine if it’s primarily mental, physical, or a combination.
  • R – Review systems to distinguish fatigue from other conditions like sleepiness, dyspnea, or muscle weakness.
  • O – Observe for fever, chills, night sweats, or weight loss indicating possible infection or malignancy.
  • A – Analyze medication use, including prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, herbs, and alcohol.
  • C – Consider circumstances surrounding symptom onset and potential triggers.
  • H – Highlight social history, stressors, social support network, and domestic affairs.
  • T – Talk about sleep habits, hygiene, and its impact on daily functioning.
  • O – Obtain a thorough physical examination guided by history and differential diagnosis.
  • F – Focus on mental status examination for symptoms of depression and anxiety.
  • A – Assess for objective muscle weakness with a neurologic examination.
  • T – Test for breakaway weakness and distinguish it from weakness due to motor tracts or lower motor unit lesions.
  • I – Investigate for fatigable weakness indicating neuromuscular transmission issues.
  • G – Gauge the impact of fatigue on daily functioning, recovery, and treatment success.
  • U – Use laboratory testing judiciously, guided by history and physical examination.
  • E – Employ standard screening tests and consider specific tests based on clinical findings.

Mnemonic : APPROACH TO FATIGUE

Dr. Arin Nandi

Passionate About Medical Science & Helping Future Doctors Achieve Top Ranks In Medical Exams. He is professionally a dentist as well as a public health expert from JIPMER (1), (2)working in health department
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