How to describe your symptoms to your doctor
Updated 7/6/2026 · 4 min read
A good diagnosis starts with a good description. Your doctor is not inside your body: the precision of your words guides their reasoning. The good news is that there is a simple, complete method so you don't forget anything.
The OPQRST method
Used by clinicians worldwide, it covers everything that matters. Run each symptom through these six angles:
- Onset: when and how did it start? Sudden or gradual?
- Provocation / relief: what makes it worse, what calms it?
- Quality: describe the sensation (burning, tightness, stabbing, tingling).
- Region / radiation: where exactly? Does it spread elsewhere?
- Severity: rate the intensity from 0 to 10.
- Time: is it constant or in flare-ups? How long does it last?
Give concrete markers, not impressions
"I often hurt" helps little. "A 6/10 pain in the lower back, every morning for 10 days, radiating down the right leg" points the way immediately.
Quantify what you can: how many days, how many times a day, what temperature, how many kilos lost.
Hide nothing, even what feels awkward
Intimate issues, mood, alcohol use, self-medication: this information is covered by medical confidentiality and can be decisive. A doctor doesn't judge, they treat.
Prepare the list before, note during
Keeping a short symptom journal over a few days (intensity, timing, triggers) gives the doctor a real curve rather than a snapshot.
Parato turns your account into a structured summary with intensity, duration and triggers, ready to show. The built-in daily tracking builds that curve for you.
Parato helps you prepare for your appointments. It does not replace medical advice and is not a medical device. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.