CHART Format

CHART: Chief complaint, History, Assessment, Rx (treatment), Transport.

C: Why you were called / primary complaint in patient words when possible. H: OPQRST, SAMPLE, events, bystanders, meds/allergies. A: Physical exam + vitals trends. Rx: Interventions with times and responses. T: Destination, mode, condition en route, handoff, refusal if applicable.

CHART is popular in EMS because Transport and Treatment are explicit.

DCHART adds Dispatch in front of CHART — the format most FTOs actually mark. D is unit, mode, scene on arrival, and position found: Medic 12 dispatched 09:12 for chest pain; on scene 09:14, patient sitting in a chair, pale and diaphoretic. Then write C-H-A-Rx-T as usual. Practice DCHART in the studio when your agency leads with dispatch. A full DCHART walkthrough lives in Excellent DCHART in the Excellent Narratives module.