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Patient interview

How to interview a patient with nausea and vomiting

Other platforms explain it with text and video. In Making Synapses you practice it on the patient.

MD / DOPANursing (NCLEX)
Practice it in VR with Blocky

Vomiting can come from the gut, the brain, pregnancy, medicines or poisoning. Check for dehydration while you ask.

Step by step

  1. Introduce yourself and get consent

    Offer a basin and let the patient sit up. [1]

  2. Onset and frequency

    When it started, how many times, related to meals. [2]

  3. What comes up?

    Food, bile, blood or coffee-ground material, or stool-smelling vomit (obstruction). [2]

  4. Associated symptoms

    Belly pain, diarrhea, fever, headache, vertigo, chest pain. [3]

  5. Pregnancy

    Last period and chance of pregnancy. [3]

  6. Medicines and exposures

    New medicines, opioids, alcohol, cannabis, sick contacts, food eaten. [3]

  7. Dehydration

    Urine output, thirst, dizziness on standing, can they keep fluids down. [3]

  8. Summarize and plan

    Name the likely cause and the next step. [1]

Common errors

Practice it in Making Synapses

In Making Synapses you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.

Making Synapses cases that train this skill

47 Making Synapses cases train this skill: open the case library

Sources

  1. AAMC Core Entrustable Professional Activities (Core EPAs)
  2. NBOME COMLEX-USA clinical presentations
  3. NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint

Facts and steps follow NBOME COMLEX-USA clinical presentations; NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint; AAMC Core Entrustable Professional Activities (Core EPAs). Making Synapses is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.