Entering Historical Dates

When collecting medical history or immunization information from a patient, it is not uncommon for the patient to be uncertain about the exact date a procedure or immunization was performed. S/he may know that it occurred in a certain month of a certain year, or may only know the year it took place.

SYSTOC still requires that a date formatted as MM/DD/YYYY be entered in the form's date field. In cases such as these, enter an approximate "best guess" date based on the latest day of the estimated time frame. For example, if the patient knows s/he had a tetanus shot before going to Mexico in May of 1995, but doesn't know the exact day, enter 05/31/1995; if s/he remembers being treated for a latex allergy sometime in 1998, enter 12/31/1998.