Lesson 1History of Present Illness: Chronological Build, Onset, Duration, Exertional Pattern, Triggers, ProgressionExplains how to build the history of current illness for exertional shortness of breath, stressing onset, duration, pattern during effort, triggers, progression, and past checks, to create a clear, time-based story of signs.
Defining onset, tempo, and first episodeCharacterizing exertional thresholds and limitsIdentifying triggers and relieving maneuversDocumenting progression and stepwise changesPrior tests, treatments, and responsesSynthesizing a chronological symptom timelineLesson 2Family History Questions Focused on Heart-Lung, Blood Clot, and Inherited Lung ConditionsDetails ways to explore family history related to exertional shortness of breath, concentrating on heart muscle diseases, irregular heartbeats, blood clot issues, and inherited lung problems, using phrasing that boosts reliability and uncovers hidden family risk patterns.
Cardiac family history and premature sudden deathInherited arrhythmias and cardiomyopathiesFamilial thromboembolic and clotting disordersHereditary pulmonary hypertension patternsGenetic lung diseases and early respiratory failurePedigree building and red flag clusteringLesson 3Relieving and Aggravating Factors: Posture, Medicines, Effort, Environmental ExposuresDescribes how to investigate factors that ease or worsen exertional shortness of breath, including body position, medicines, level of effort, and surroundings exposures, and how these help separate heart, lung, or body function causes.
Postural changes and orthopnea assessmentExercise intensity and exertional thresholdsMedication timing, relief, and side effectsEnvironmental and occupational exposuresTemporal patterns and day to night variationIntegrating patterns into pathophysiologic cluesLesson 4Medicine, Allergy, and Vaccination Questions with Phrasing for AccuracyDetails how to ask about medicines, allergies, and vaccinations in patients with exertional shortness of breath, using exact wording to improve memory recall, spot interactions, and identify avoidable lung or heart problems.
Current prescription and over the counter drugsInhalers, oxygen, and adherence assessmentDrug and food allergies with reaction detailsVaccine history for influenza and pneumococcusCOVID and other relevant immunizationsIdentifying interactions and contraindicationsLesson 5Social History Questioning Scripts: Smoking (Pack-Years), Job, Environmental Exposures, Alcohol, Recreational Drugs, Physical Activity LevelProvides scripts for social history aimed at exertional shortness of breath, including smoking with pack-year counts, job details, environmental exposures, alcohol use, recreational drugs, and activity levels, stressing risk grouping and non-judgmental wording.
Smoking history, pack‑years, and cessationOccupational dust, fumes, and irritant exposureHousehold and environmental inhalational risksAlcohol intake patterns and cardiopulmonary riskRecreational drugs and route of useBaseline physical activity and functional classLesson 6Structure and Goals of Patient History Taking: Identification, Main Complaint, Informed Consent PhrasingIntroduces the overall setup and aims of patient history taking for exertional shortness of breath, covering patient ID, main complaint wording, and clear, ethical consent phrasing that builds trust and shapes a focused, effective interview.
Patient identification and demographic contextFormulating and recording the chief complaintExplaining purpose and scope of the interviewInformed consent and confidentiality wordingSetting agenda and time framing with patientBalancing open listening with focused inquiryLesson 7Questions for Related Symptoms: Lying Flat Breathing Difficulty, Sudden Night Shortness of Breath, Chest Pain, Cough, Wheezing, Coughing Blood, Fainting, Heart RacingFocuses on methodically drawing out key related symptoms with exertional shortness of breath, like breathing trouble when lying flat, sudden night shortness, chest pain, cough, wheezing, coughing blood, fainting, and heart racing, with wording that sharpens diagnosis.
Orthopnea and paroxysmal nocturnal dyspneaCharacterizing exertional and resting chest painCough, sputum, and wheeze characterizationHemoptysis severity and red flag featuresSyncope, presyncope, and exertional dizzinessPalpitations, rhythm description, and triggersLesson 8Past Medical History Probing: Heart, Lung, Kidney, Thyroid, Blood, Metabolic, and Mental Health ConditionsCovers focused past medical history for shortness of breath, highlighting heart, lung, kidney, hormone, blood, metabolic, and mental health issues, and how each affects starting odds, outlook, and treatment safety in effort-related symptoms.
Cardiovascular diseases and prior cardiac testingChronic lung disorders and prior exacerbationsRenal disease, volume status, and anemia linksThyroid dysfunction and exercise intoleranceHematologic and metabolic contributors to dyspneaPsychiatric comorbidity and symptom perceptionLesson 9Targeted Body Systems Review: Standard Phrasing for Breathing, Heart, General (Fevers, Weight Loss), and Mental Symptoms to Spot Diagnosis HintsExplains how to do a focused body systems review using friendly, standard wording for breathing, heart, general, and mental symptoms, to find missed hints, other conditions, and warning signs that sharpen the diagnosis list.
Respiratory ROS for chronic and acute symptomsCardiac ROS for ischemia and heart failureSystemic ROS for fever, weight loss, night sweatsPsychiatric ROS for anxiety and panic featuresStandardized phrasing to reduce ambiguityPrioritizing and documenting positive findingsLesson 10Exact Question Scripts for Main Complaint and Opening PromptsPresents precise opening prompts and main complaint questions fitted to exertional shortness of breath, mixing open and closed styles, avoiding hints, and creating a teamwork tone that encourages true, detailed symptom stories.
Neutral openers for first patient statementsClarifying the main breathing concernExploring patient expectations and fearsAvoiding leading or judgmental questionsTransitioning from open to focused inquiryChecking understanding with patient summaries
