Which formatting style is described for the subjective history?

• A. Tables
• B. Bullets points
• C. Paragraphs
• D. Narrative

Answer: (B)

Bullet points organize patient-reported details into concise, easily scanable items. This format lets you quickly capture and review each element of the subjective history—onset, duration, quality, severity, location, timing, aggravating or relieving factors, associated symptoms, and prior treatments—without burying information in long prose. It helps ensure nothing important is missed and makes documentation faster to review in busy clinical settings. While narratives preserve the patient’s voice and tables can organize data neatly, bullet points strike a balance by maintaining clarity and completeness in a lightweight, readable format.