In the SAMPLE history mnemonic, what does the letter E stand for?

• A. Emergency contact
• B. Environmental factors
• C. Events leading up to the incident
• D. External injuries

Answer: (C)

In the SAMPLE history, E stands for Events leading up to the incident. This part asks what happened before the event began—what the patient was doing, what actions were taken, who witnessed it, the sequence of events, and any factors that might have contributed. Understanding these details helps you infer potential causes, exposures, or mechanisms of injury and guides what to look for next in the assessment.

Emergency contact is not part of this acronym; that information is kept separate as a contact detail. Environmental factors aren’t the designated meaning for this letter in the standard mnemonic, though scene conditions can influence the case, they’re not the specific category represented by E here. External injuries would be described under Signs and Symptoms, not the Events category.