A girl, four, is brought in to see her GP by her worried parents.
She has not been herself for the past three days. The parents report lower than usual energy levels, and a fever that improves with paracetamol.
The GP starts observing the child, who is sitting on her mother’s lap, while taking a history. This includes asking about localising symptoms, fluid intake and output as a percentage over 24 hours, and her activity levels during play and interactions.
The GP completes the history by asking about immunisations, travel, and whether anyone with whom she’d been in contact – such as family members, or children at her daycare – are currently sick.
