11/13/24, 7\:41 PM Guide | Mnemonics

Mnemonics

Table of contents

Introduction

The Geeky Medics list of medical mnemonics has been curated to help you remember important medical concepts and
facts.
Our list of medical mnemonics includes clinical skills, medicine, surgery, paediatrics and psychiatry. For basic sciences, see the
Geeky Medics list of anatomy mnemonics.

Clinical skills mnemonics

History structure\: CHAMPS
Complaint (presenting)
History of presenting complaint
Allergies
Medications
Past medical history
Social history
Assessment of pain\: SOCRATES
Site
Onset
Character
Radiation
Associated symptoms
Timing
Exacerbating and relieving factors
Severity
See our history taking guides for more details.
Signi
Myocardial infarction
Jaundice
Tuberculosis
Hypertension
Rheumatic fever
Epilepsy
Asthma
Diabetes
Stroke
Drug history\: PILLS
Pills (is the patient taking any regular medications)
Injections/insulin/inhalers
ILLicit drug use
https\://app.geekymedics.com/osce-guides/documentation/mnemonics/ 1/1211/13/24, 7\:41 PM Guide | Mnemonics
Sensitivities (allergies)
History taking in syncope\: "The Five Ps"
Precipitant
Prodrome
Position
Palpitations
Post-event phenomena
See our syncope overview for more details
Handover\: SBAR
Situation
Background
Assessment
Recommendation
See our SBARR overview for more details
Trauma handover\: ATMIST
Age
Time
Mechanism of injury
Injuries sustained
Symptoms and signs
Treatments given
See our SBARR overview for more details

Surgical sieve

VITAMIN CDEF
Vascular
Infective
Traumatic
Autoimmune
Metabolic
Iatrogenic
Neoplastic
Congenital
Degenerative
Endocrine
Functional
VINDICATE
Vascular
Infection
Neoplasm
Degenerative
Iatrogenic
Congenital
Autoimmune
Trauma
Endocrine/metabolic

Procedures

ECG lead placement\: "Ride Your Green Bike"
https\://app.geekymedics.com/osce-guides/documentation/mnemonics/ 2/1211/13/24, 7\:41 PM Guide | Mnemonics
Placement of limb leads, starting clockwise from the right wrist\:
Red
Yellow
Green
Blue
See our guide to recording an ECG.

Clinical examination

Starting a clinical examination\: WIPE
Wash your hands (and don PPE)
Introduce yourself (#HelloMyNameIs)
Patient's name, date of birth and preferred name
Explain and gain consent
Check out our clinical examination guides.
Level of consciousness\: ACVPU
Alert
Confused
Voice
Pain
Unresponsive
See our emergency management guides for more details.
General inspection from the end of the bed\: ABC
Appearance (colour, pain, breathlessness etc)
Behaviour (calm, agitated etc)
Connections (oxygen, catheters, cannulas, surgical drains etc)
Neurological examination structure\: "Is The Physician Really So Cool?"
Inspection
Tone
Power
Re
Sensation
Co-ordination
Tendon re
Count upwards from the ankles\:
S1 S2\: ankle jerk
L3 L4\: knee jerk
C5 C6\: biceps and brachioradialis
C7 C8\: triceps
Also, as a rhyme\:
"1,2 buckle my shoe 3,4 kick the door 5,6 pick up sticks 7,8 shut the gate"
Cerebellar signs\: DANISH
Dysdiadochokinesia & Dysmetria
Ataxia
Nystagmus
Intention tremor
Slurred speech
Hypotonia
See our guide to cerebellar examination.
https\://app.geekymedics.com/osce-guides/documentation/mnemonics/ 3/1211/13/24, 7\:41 PM Guide | Mnemonics
Heart valve auscultation sites\: "All Physicians Take Money"
From right upper sternal border\:
Aortic
Pulmonary
Tricuspid
Mitral
Assessing a cardiac murmur\: SCRIPT
Site
Character
Radiation
Intensity
Pitch and quality
Timing (in the cardiac cycle, systolic or diastolic?)
See our guide to cardiovascular examination.

Communications skills

Breaking bad news\: SPIKES
Setting up
Perception
Invitation
Knowledge
Emotions
Strategy and summary
See our guide to breaking bad news.

Medicine mnemonics

Cardiology

Chest X-ray
Alveolar oedema (perihilar/bat-wing opaci
Kerley B lines (interstitial oedema)
Cardiomegaly (cardiothoracic ratio >50%) – may be di
Dilated upper lobe vessels
E
See our overview of acute heart failure.
Triggers of atrial
Pulmonary embolism
Ischaemia
Respiratory disease
Atrial enlargement or myxoma
Thyroid disease
Ethanol
Sepsis/sleep apnoea
See our overview of atrial .
Features of aortic stenosis\: SAD
Syncope (exertional)
Angina
Dyspnoea
https\://app.geekymedics.com/osce-guides/documentation/mnemonics/ 4/1211/13/24, 7\:41 PM Guide | Mnemonics
See our aortic stenosis examination guide.
Beck's triad for cardiac tamponade\: "Three Ds"
Distant heart sounds
Distended jugular veins
Decreased arterial pressure (low BP)
Features of infective endocarditis\: FROM JANE
Fever
Roth's spots
Osler's nodes
Murmur
Janeway lesions
Anaemia
Nail bed haemorrhage
Embolism
See our overview of infective endocarditis.
Management of hypertension\: ABCD
Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors
Beta-blockers (no longer
Calcium channel blockers
Diuretics
See our overview of hypertension.

Respiratory

Features of asthma\: CRAB
Chronic in
Reversible airway obstruction
Airway hyper-responsiveness
Bronchial in
See our overview of asthma to learn more.
Management of tuberculosis\: RIPE
Rifampicin
Isoniazid (+ pyridoxine)
Pyrazinamide
Ethambutol
See our overview of tuberculosis.
Interpreting a chest X-ray\: ABCDE
Airway\: trachea, carina, bronchi and hilar structures.
Breathing\: lungs and pleura.
Cardiac\: heart size and borders.
Diaphragm\: including assessment of costophrenic angles.
Everything else\: mediastinal contours, bones, soft tissues, tubes, valves, pacemakers and review areas.
See our guide to chest x-ray interpretation.

Endocrinology

Features of thyroid eye disease\: NO SPECS
No signs or symptoms
Only ocular irritation (dryness, gritty sensation)
Soft tissue involvement (conjunctival oedema or injection)
https\://app.geekymedics.com/osce-guides/documentation/mnemonics/ 5/1211/13/24, 7\:41 PM Guide | Mnemonics
Proptosis
Extraocular muscle involvement
Corneal exposure and ulceration
Sight loss (due to compressive optic neuropathy)
See our overview of thyroid eye disease.
Diabetic ketoacidosis precipitants\: "The 5 Is"
Infection
Ischaemia
Infarction
Ignorance (poor diabetic control)
Intoxication
See our guide to the acute management of diabetic ketoacidosis.
Features of hypercalcaemia\: "Bones, Stones, Groans and Moans"
Painful bones
Renal stones
Abdominal groans (pain)
Psychiatric moans (depression, confusion, lethargy)

Renal

Indications for renal replacement therapy\: AEIOU
Acidosis
Electrolyte abnormalities
Ingested toxins
Fluid Overload
Uraemia
Management of acute kidney injury\: ABCDE
Address drugs (nephrotoxics)
Boost blood pressure
Calculate
Dip urine
Exclude obstruction
See our overview of acute kidney injury.
Functions of the kidney (and complications of CKD)\: A WET BED
Acid-base balance\: metabolic acidosis
Water removal\: pulmonary oedema
Erythropoiesis\: anaemia
Toxin removal\: uraemia
Blood pressure control\: hypertension
Electrolyte balance\: hyperkalaemia
Vitamin D activation\: bone-mineral disorder of chronic kidney disease (CKD-BMD)

Gastroenterology

Causes of pancreatitis\: I GET SMASHED
Idiopathic
Gallstones
Ethanol
Trauma
Steroids
Mumps/malignancy
https\://app.geekymedics.com/osce-guides/documentation/mnemonics/ 6/1211/13/24, 7\:41 PM Guide | Mnemonics
Autoimmune disease
Scorpion sting (very rare...)
Hypertriglyceridemia/hypercalcaemia
ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography)
Drugs\: commonly azathioprine, thiazides, septrin, tetracyclines
Glasgow score for pancreatitis\: PANCREAS
PaO2 \<8 kPa
Age > 55
Neutrophils (white cell count) > 15
Calcium \< 2 mmol/L
Raised urea >16 mmol/L
Enzyme (LDH) >600 IU/L
Albumin \<32 g/L)
Sugar (glucose) >10 mmol/L
See our overview of acute pancreatitis.
Conditions associated with coeliac disease\: “I Don’t Take Apples, I Take Oranges”
IgA de
Down’s syndrome
Turner’s syndrome
Autoimmune thyroid disease and autoimmune hepatitis
IgA nephropathy
Type 1 diabetes mellitus
Other autoimmune conditions (e.g. Sjögren’s, myasthenia gravis, Addison’s disease)
See our overview of coeliac disease.

Haematology

Features of myeloma\: CRAB
HyperCalcaemia
Renal failure
Anaemia
Bone lesions
See our overview of multiple myeloma.
Vitamin K-dependent clotting factors\: "2 + 7 = 9, not 10"
Causes of microcytic anaemia\: TAILS
Thalassemia
Anaemia of chronic disease
Iron de
Lead poisoning (rare)
Sideroblastic anaemia (rare)
See our guide to full blood count interpretation.
Drugs that potentiate warfarin (increase INR)\: O DEVICES
Cytochrome P450 inhibitors\:
Omeprazole
Disul
Erythromycin
Valproate
Isoniazid
Cipro
https\://app.geekymedics.com/osce-guides/documentation/mnemonics/ 7/1211/13/24, 7\:41 PM Guide | Mnemonics
Ethanol (acute intoxication)
Sulphonamides
Drugs that decrease the e
Cytochrome P450 inducers\:
Phenytoin
Carbamazepine
Barbiturates
Rifampicin
Alcohol (chronically)
Sulphonylureas
See our guide to warfarin prescribing.

Neurology

Features of migraine\: POUND
Pulsating
One to three days duration (4 - 72 hours)
Unilateral
Nausea and/or vomiting
Disabling
Features of Parkinson's disease\: SMART
Shu
Mask facies
Akinesia
Rigidity
Tremor
See our guide to Parkinson's disease examination.
Features of normal pressure hydrocephalus\: "Wet, Wobbly and Wacky"
Wet\: urinary incontinence
Wobbly\: wide-based gait
Wacky\: cognitive impairment
See our neurosurgery topic summaries.

Rheumatology

Features of limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis\: CREST
Calcinosis\: deposits of calcium in soft tissue
Raynaud’s\: characterised by colour change of the hands, initially white (ischaemic change), then purple (deoxygenated
blood) then pink (reperfusion)
(o)Esophageal dysmotility\: presents as dysphagia most often but there are other oesophageal symptoms
Sclerodactyly\: thickening and tightness of the skin of the
Telangiectasia\: red spots around the mouth, nose and sometimes the palms, due to dilated capillaries
See our rheumatology topic summaries.

Dermatology

Features of melanoma\: ABCDE
Asymmetry
Border irregularity (or poorly de
Colour (varying colours)
Diameter (>6mm)
Evolving (changing in size, colour or shape
https\://app.geekymedics.com/osce-guides/documentation/mnemonics/ 8/1211/13/24, 7\:41 PM Guide | Mnemonics
See our dermatology guides.

Geriatrics

Causes of delirium\: PINCH ME
Pain
Infection
Nutrition
Constipation
Hydration
Medication
Environment
See our guide to delirium assessment & management,

Emergency medicine

Red
Trauma
Unexplained weight loss
Neurological symptoms / signs
Age > 50
Fever
Intravenous drug use
Steroid use
History of cancer
See our back pain history taking guide.
Reversible causes of cardiac arrest\: "4Hs and 4Ts"
Hypoxia
Hypokalaemia/hyperkalaemia
Hypothermia/hyperthermia
Hypovolaemia
Tension pneumothorax
Tamponade
Thrombosis
Toxins
See our emergency guides.
Interpreting a CT head\: "Blood Can Be Very Bad"
Blood
Cisterns
Brain
Ventricles
Bone
See our guide to CT head interpretation.

Surgery mnemonics

General surgery

Causes of abdominal distension\: "The 6Fs"
Fat
Fluid
https\://app.geekymedics.com/osce-guides/documentation/mnemonics/ 9/1211/13/24, 7\:41 PM Guide | Mnemonics
Flatus
Faeces
Fetus
Fatal mass (ie, malignancy)
See our guide to abdominal examination.

Orthopaedic surgery

X-ray changes in osteoarthritis\: LOSS
Loss of joint space
Osteophytes
Subchondral sclerosis
Subchondral cysts
See our guide to osteoarthritis.
Management of soft tissue injuries\: RICE
Rest
Ice
Compression
Elevation
Salter-Harris classi
Slipped (type I)
Above the joint (type II)
Lower (Type III)
Through (Type IV)
Ruined or rammed (Type V)
See our guide to musculoskeletal x-ray interpretation.

Vascular surgery

Features of acute limb ischaemia\: "The Six Ps"
Pain
Pallor
Pulselessness
Perishingly cold (poikilothermia)
Paraesthesia
Paralysis
See our guide to acute limb ischaemia

Breast surgery

Assessment of breast lump\: LMNOP
Lumps
Mammary changes
Nipple changes
Other symptoms
Patient risk factors (risk factors for cancer)
See our guides to breast examination and breast cancer.

Obstetrics and gynaecology

Management of shoulder dystocia\: HELPERR
Help\: call for help
Evaluate for episiotomy
https\://app.geekymedics.com/osce-guides/documentation/mnemonics/ 10/1211/13/24, 7\:41 PM Guide | Mnemonics
Legs (McRoberts' position)
Pressure (suprapubic)
Enter manoeuvres (rotational)
Remove the posterior arm
Roll over onto all fours
See our guide to shoulder dystocia.

ENT

Features of nasopharyngeal cancer\: NOSE
Neck mass
Obstructed nasal passage
Serous otitis media externa
Epistaxis and discharge
See our guide to nasal examination.

Paediatric mnemonics

Pyloric stenosis\: "Three Ps"
Palpable mass
Peristalsis visible
Projective vomiting
Features of croup\: "Three Ss"
Stridor
Subglottic swelling
Seal like cough
See our guide to croup.
Paediatric history\: BINDS
Birth
Immunisations
Nutrition
Development
Social history
See our guide to paediatric history taking.

Psychiatry mnemonics

Risk factors for suicide\: SAD PERSONS
Sex (male)
Age (\<19 or >45 years)
Depression
Previous attempt
Excess alcohol or substance use
Rational thinking loss
Social support lacking
Organised plan
No spouse
https\://app.geekymedics.com/osce-guides/documentation/mnemonics/ 11/1211/13/24, 7\:41 PM Guide | Mnemonics
Sickness
See our guide to suicide risk assessment.
Features of post-traumatic stress disorder\: HARD
Hyperarousal\: persistently heightened perception of current threat (may include enhanced startle reaction)
Avoidance of situations/activities reminiscent of the events, or of thoughts/memories of the events
Re-experiencing the traumatic events (vivid intrusive memories,
Distress\: strong/overwhelming fear and physical sensations when re-experiencing
Source\: geekymedics.com
https\://app.geekymedics.com/osce-guides/documentation/mnemonics/ 12/12