Formal Terminology Beginner Abbreviations & Shorthand

ROS

Formal Definition

Review of Systems - a systematic inventory of symptoms across all body systems, asked during the patient interview.

How It's Used on the Ward

"Did you do a ROS?" - checks that you asked about symptoms beyond the chief complaint.

Example

""ROS: Positive for fever, chills, and productive cough. Negative for chest pain, hemoptysis, abdominal pain, dysuria, rash, or joint pain. All other systems negative.""

Clinical Context

The ROS is separate from the HPI. HPI is the story of this illness; ROS screens for things the patient didn't volunteer. Pertinent positives and negatives are key.

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