3.15 Review of Body Systems

A body system review asks focused questions related to overall health status and body systems such as cardiac, respiratory, neurological, gastrointestinal, urinary, and musculoskeletal systems. Nurses often incorporate review of system questions into the physical examination of each system.

A Review of Systems (ROS) is a systematic approach used in health care to collect information about a patient’s current and past health status across multiple body systems. During a health history interview, health care providers use the ROS to identify any symptoms the patient may be experiencing, even if they seem unrelated to the primary reason for the visit. This comprehensive review helps in detecting underlying conditions, guiding further diagnostic testing, and formulating an effective treatment plan.

The ROS typically covers the following systems:

1. General Health
2. Skin
3. Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Throat (HEENT)
4. Cardiovascular
5. Respiratory
6. Gastrointestinal
7. Genitourinary
8. Musculoskeletal
9. Neurological
10. Psychiatric
11. Endocrine
12. Hematologic/Lymphatic
13. Allergic/Immunologic

By systematically questioning patients about symptoms in these areas, health care providers can gather crucial information that contributes to a holistic understanding of the patient’s health.

For example, while listening to bowel sounds in the abdomen, a nurse often inquires about the patient’s bowel pattern. Additional focused assessment questions related to each body system are found in each assessment chapter of this book.^[1]