It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with reason for encounter. (Discuss)

The Chief Complaint (CC), or termed Presenting Complaint (PC) in the UK, is a concise statement describing the symptom, problem, condition, diagnosis, physician recommended return, or other factor that is the reason for a medical encounter^[1]. The patient's initial comments to a physician, nurse, or other health care professional help form the differential diagnosis.

In some instances, the nature of a patient's chief complaint may determine whether or not services are covered by medical or vision insurance.^[2]

Medical students are advised to use open-ended questions in order to obtain the presenting complaint.^[3]

Contents 1 Prevalence 2 See also 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Prevalence

The collection of chief complaint data may be useful in addressing public health issues.^[4] Certain complaints are more common in certain settings and among certain populations. Fatigue has been reported as one of the ten most common reasons for seeing a physician.^[5] In acute care settings, such as emergency rooms, reports of chest pain are among the most common chief complaints.^[6] The most common complaint in ERs has been reported to be abdominal pain.^[7] Among nursing home residents seeking treatment at ERs, respiratory symptoms, altered mental status, gastrointestinal symptoms, and falls are the most commonly reported.^[8]

[edit] See also

• Medical history
• Reason for encounter

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• MedEd at Loyola ipm/comphx1/sld003.htm
• Chief+complaint at eMedicine Dictionary

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v • d • e Medical records Admission note H and P (history and physical): Chief complaint · History of the present illness (SAMPLE history, OPQRST) · Past Medical History · Family history · Social history · Review of systems · Physical examination (Vital signs) Psychiatric history · Mental status examination · Mini-mental state examination other: Labs · Assessment and plan (Medical diagnosis, Differential diagnosis) Progress note SOAP note Medical privacy