Synopsis
Conduct a person-centred assessment across physical symptoms, function, mood, relationships, practical pressures, understanding, spirituality and caregiver wellbeing, then turn the findings into prioritised actions with clear review.
- Holistic assessment asks what the illness is doing to the person's body, daily life, identity, relationships, finances, emotions, beliefs and future.
- Begin with the patient's agenda: first ask what is most difficult today, then use a domain prompt to uncover concerns that have not been volunteered.
- First-line symptom assessment characterises onset, severity, mechanism, pattern, aggravating factors, associated features, current treatment and impact on function.
Key red flags
Pain with new weakness, bladder or bowel dysfunction, pathological fracture features or sepsis needs urgent disease-specific assessment.
Acute onset, altered attention, fluctuation and disorganised thought point toward organic brain dysfunction rather than uncomplicated anxiety or depression.
Investigation priorities
Identify the problem the person most wants changed before introducing a comprehensive assessment framework.
Management branches
A person with serious illness attends for initial or repeat holistic review.
- Arrange communication support and privacy, ask what matters most today and characterise the priority symptom and any immediate danger.
- Explore remaining physical, functional, emotional, social, informational, cultural, spiritual and caregiver domains using a structured prompt or outcome measure.