ABSTRACT
Mr. Smith has been experiencing lower back pain for a few weeks and finally decided to see his primary care physician because the pain was getting to be more than he could tolerate. Following is the first part of his interview with his doctor: https://www.niso.org/standards/z39-96/ns/oasis-exchange/table"> 1 Doc: Well, good morning Mr. Smith. How are you today? 2 Pat: Not too bad. How are you? 3 Doc: I'm fine, thanks. What can I do for you today? 4 Pat: Well, Dr. Jones I've been having this terrible pain in my back. It just, I can't 5 even… 6 Doc: Back pain. Exactly where is the pain? 7 Pat: Right here (pointing to the left side, lower back). 8 Doc: Does it hurt any place else? 9 Pat: Not in my back, but I do have a pain in the back of my leg, all the way down 10 to 11 Doc: Mm, I see. How long have you had this back pain? 12 Pat: Oh, about two weeks I think. It just 13 Doc: Did you do anything to bring it on, like lifting a heavy object or anything like 14 that? 15 Pat: No not that I can remember. I was just sitting in a chair and all of a sudden I 16 started feeling this pain in my back and 17 Doc: Is the pain sharp or dull? 18 Pat: Oh, real sharp. Like a knife. 19 Doc: And is the pain steady or intermittent? 20 Pat: It's pretty much constant. 21 Doc: Anything make it feel better or worse? 22 Pat: Well, almost nothing makes it feel better—I've taken lots of aspirin but that 23 doesn't seem to help much. Sitting definitely makes it worse, at least more so 24 than walking. But, I'm having a hard time walking too and with all that's 25 going on I just can't 26 Doc: How much aspirin have you been taking? Have you been taking anything else 27 with it? 28 Pat: Let's see I think I've been taking about……
