Tell the story of a symptom in your own words. This puts it in order on one line — first noticed, what changed, how it is now — ready to hand to your GP.
If this is an emergency, don’t use this tool — call 000 now.
Chest pain, trouble breathing, signs of stroke (face drooping, arm weakness, slurred speech), severe bleeding, or thoughts of harming yourself: call 000 or go to your nearest emergency department. Lifeline 13 11 14.
Not sure where to start? Tap an example.
Optional — these sharpen the timeline. Skip any you’re not sure about.
As specific as you can — hours, days, months or years. Why this matters.
skip
This tool puts your story in order — it can’t tell if something is serious. If you’re worried it might be urgent, call 000 or your GP now.
Where this comes from
RACGP / AJGP — Teaching the art of general practice consultation (2022): be specific about the timing of symptom onset (hours, days, months or years). www1.racgp.org.au/ajgp/2022/may
RACGP — Starting off in general practice: consultation skill tips for new GP registrars (AFP, 2014). racgp.org.au/afp/2014/september
healthdirect — Question Builder: prepare and print or email your questions and history to bring to your appointment. healthdirect.gov.au/question-builder
Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne — Febrile child clinical practice guideline: any fever in a baby under three months needs urgent assessment. rch.org.au/clinicalguide/Febrile_child
Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne — Button battery and other button ingestion: time-critical, can cause serious harm within hours. rch.org.au/kidsinfo/Button_battery_ingestion