OLDCARTS Patient assessment tool
Acute Care, Home Care, Long-term Care, Palliative Care, Primary Care, Virtual care

OLDCARTS: A Framework for Clinical Excellence

Symptom assessment is one of the most critical—and easy to overlook—parts of patient care. The OLDCARTS framework gives nurses and clinicians a time-tested structure for asking the right questions, documenting clearly, and catching what others might miss. In this post, we break down what each letter stands for, why it still matters, and how to apply it in real clinical scenarios.