Medical Assistant Prep / Unit 3 MAS 072 review, 2 to 3 minutes
One Complaint, Many Systems
The idea
This example is constructed for this course. It shows why a single complaint can involve several of the body systems in this unit, and why the medical assistant records everything the patient mentions.
In practice
An older woman comes in because she has been "feeling off." When the medical assistant asks about the reason for the visit, the patient describes several things. She has been dizzy when she turns her head, she has trouble reading the labels on her medicine bottles, and her hands feel weak when she opens jars. She also mentions a mole on her back that her daughter thinks has grown. A less careful interviewer might record only "dizziness." This medical assistant records each item in the patient's words. Each one points toward a different system from this unit. Dizziness can come from the inner ear. Trouble reading up close is common with age as the lens stiffens. Weak hands could start in a muscle or in a nerve. A changing mole is one of the warning signs patients are taught to report. The medical assistant does not decide which of these matters most, and she does not suggest a cause for any of them. She records them all, measures the vital signs, and tells the provider that the patient has several concerns, including a mole that may have changed. The provider then decides what to examine and in what order.
Where people slip
Every system in this unit can produce symptoms that look like another's, and older adults often have several at once. The record is only as complete as the interview, so write down every concern the patient raises, and let the provider sort them.
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