Save Your Life: Quickly Share Health Info
When you go to urgent care or even the hospital, you’ll likely encounter healthcare professionals (HCPs) who know absolutely nothing about you or your health care needs. It’s our job as patients, to help them help us.
If you’re at one of these places, you’ll also have very little time to communicate what’s going on as HCPs are very busy and have many patients they need to care for.
You need to quickly communicate your health status so that they can get the right diagnosis and develop the right treatment plan.
SODS: The Basics
SODS stands for:
- Symptom(s) – what are you experiencing health wise that got you to seek care.
- Onset (when did it start)
- Duration (how long)
- Severity (how bad)
ALSO: You’ll want to include any chronic health issues as well, including any medication you take.
This approach not only saves time but it focuses the conversation on the health issues you need the doctor’s attention for making it easier for the doctor to get the right diagnosis and treatment plan.
Every time a HCP gets the wrong diagnosis, you risk death or injury.
It is estimated that about 7.4 million diagnostic errors occur in the U.S. EVERY YEAR.
Use SODS and reduce your risk of being one of them.
Save Your Life: SODS in Action
“Hi Doctor, my name is Lorelei, I have headache (symptom) that started yesterday (onset) and has been going on since then, so over 24 hours (duration), it’s so bad that I’ve vomited and I’m unable to rest (severity). I have a history of migraines, and in the past they’ve responded to XYZ medication but I tried that and it didn’t work this time (health background/medication).”
It’s a great way of framing your symptoms for a health care professional (HCP) so they have the exact information that need to provide the best care.
You can use SODS for a variety of symptoms and even create a table which you can give directly to your HCP.
For instance:
| Symptom | Onset | Duration | Severity |
| Headache | 3 days ago | current | Mild to moderate, increases with motion |
| Fever | 1 day ago | Current | Low grade – 99 to 100 |
| Cough | 3 days ago | current | Dry, hacking, keeps me up at night |
| Nasal congestion | 5 days ago | Current | Was clear but now yellow in color, copious amounts |
Next time you’re at urgent care of the hospital, try SODS and let us know how it improves your care.
Next Steps
Need more support helping you implement SODS in your life?
Check out these offers and resources to ensure that you are ready to quickly share your health status in an emergency or at the Doctor’s Office.
