Differential Diagnosis in Primary Care - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1405180366 ISBN 13: 9781405180368

Publisher: BMJ Books, 2009

Synopsis

Formulating a diagnosis purely on the basis of clinical judgement can be fraught with difficulty and danger, yet this is the challenge faced every day by Primary Care physicians, who rarely have access to the diagnostic tools available to hospital-based colleagues.

Differential Diagnosis in Primary Care has been specifically written with the needs of the Primary Care physician in mind.

It examines the potential causes of common presentations and aims to help the physician differentiate between diseases, using history and examination alone.

Diseases are listed in descending order of prevalence, with the commonest causes first, while high-risk conditions are highlighted to ensure they are not overlooked. Its unique tabulated format ensures key information is easily accessible, and the user-friendly format ensures the book can be used during consultations, home visits, and on ward rounds.

Whether used by the undergraduate, postgraduate trainee or the experienced Primary Care physician, Differential Diagnosis in Primary Care is an invaluable tool designed to improve the reader's ability to diagnose on the basis of clinical judgement alone.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

Background:
In General Practice, common disorders are usually distinguished from each other by good history taking and careful examination. In contrast, hospital doctors have easy access to many investigations and often rely more heavily on these, than their clinical skills.

The inability of GPs to access such immediate tests in making the diagnosis, is the most difficult challenge for new doctors to overcome. Furthermore keeping up to date on signs and symptoms of uncommon conditions is also a challenge for more experienced GPs.

The ability to differentiate between benign illnesses and serious conditions without investigations is therefore a critical skill which GPs must possess in order to practise safely.

Scope of the book:
The book will cover all common symptoms which present in General Practice and list their recognised causes in order of prevalence.

Reaching a provisional diagnosis is the most difficult part of any GP consultation. The formulation of a management plan thereafter is often straight forward. Therefore this book will focus solely on the formulation of likely diagnoses and will not attempt to cover the investigations and management of them. However, important points will be highlighted where appropriate.

About the Author:

Dr Mehmood Syed MBBS DRCOG MRCGP
Private & NHS General Practitioner

Dr Nairah Rasul BSc (Hons) MBBS
Senior House Officer in Vocational Training for General Practice

About this edition

• Publisher: BMJ Books
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1405180366
• ISBN 13: 9781405180368
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192
• Editor: Rasul Nairah, Syed Mehmood