Which acronym is used as the history framework in trauma assessment?

• A. SAMPLE
• B. OPQRST
• C. MIST
• D. FAST

Answer: (C)

In trauma care, you gather history quickly with a framework that focuses on what happened, what injuries are suspected, how the patient is doing now, and what has already been done. The history framework used is MIST: Mechanism of injury, Injuries sustained, Signs and symptoms, Treatments given. Mechanism of injury helps you infer potential injuries based on how the event occurred, guiding the exam and priorities. Injuries sustained records known injuries to target the assessment and treatment plan. Signs and symptoms capture both what you observe and what the patient reports, informing stability and progression. Treatments given notes any prehospital or field interventions already performed, so you don’t duplicate care and can plan next steps. This approach is tailored for trauma scenarios; the other acronyms serve different roles—SAMPLE is a broad medical history checklist, OPQRST is a pain history tool, and FAST is an imaging/assessment tool used to detect internal bleeding, not a history framework.