SAMPLE history is an mnemonic

Mnemonic

A mnemonic , or mnemonic device, is any learning technique that aids memory. To improve long term memory, mnemonic systems are used to make memorization easier. Commonly encountered mnemonics are often verbal, such as a very short poem or a special word used to help a person remember something,...

 acronym to remember key questions for a person's assessment

Health assessment

A health assessment is a plan of care that identifies the specific needs of the client and how those needs will be addressed by the healthcare organization or skilled nursing facility....

. The SAMPLE history is usually taken along with vital signs

Vital signs

Vital signs are measures of various physiological statistics, often taken by health professionals, in order to assess the most basic body functions. Vital signs are an essential part of a case presentation. The act of taking vital signs normally entails recording body temperature, pulse rate ,...

. It is used for alert people, but often much of this information can also be obtained from the family of an unresponsive person. A derivative of SAMPLE history is AMPLE history which has more central focus on a persons medical history.

Meaning

The parts of the mnemonic are:

• Signs
  Medical sign
  A medical sign is an objective indication of some medical fact or characteristic that may be detected by a physician during a physical examination of a patient....
  
   and Symptoms
• Allergies
• Medications
• Past medical history
  Medical history
  The medical history or anamnesis of a patient is information gained by a physician by asking specific questions, either of the patient or of other people who know the person and can give suitable information , with the aim of obtaining information useful in formulating a diagnosis and providing...
  
  
• Last oral intake
• Events leading up to the injury
  Injury
  -By cause:*Traumatic injury, a body wound or shock produced by sudden physical injury, as from violence or accident*Other injuries from external physical causes, such as radiation injury, burn injury or frostbite*Injury from infection...
  
   and/or illness
  Illness
  Illness is a state of poor health. Illness is sometimes considered another word for disease. Others maintain that fine distinctions exist...