Wiki HPI Help

[Sarahp941]

Following '97 Guidelines, does the HPI content pertain to one chief complaint? Example: Pt comes for full body skin exam. We ask if any concerns, they say yes and we document location, quality, duration, etc of their new lesion. If there are multiple concerns, we have more content for a detailed HPI. My question is, if there are multiple complaints, then the HPI looks like, location, duration, quality, location, duration, quality, etc and it equals 6 points towards the HPI. OR.....is it only qualifying for components per complaint? I think I am overthinking this. Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[pclaybaugh]

When a patient presents with more than one complaint one can use the most descriptive for the HPI and the rest for the ROS. I was taught not not to mix the various complaints for the HPI. An extended HPI needs at least four elements. As an alternative, one can also comment on the staus of three chronic or inactive conditions.