Algorithms in Differential Diagnosis: How to Approach Common Presenting Complaints in Adult Patients, for Medical Students and Junior Doctors

This is a book for medical students and first-year doctors who wish to learn how to approach a patient's symptoms, and sharpen their skills of clinical reasoning and diagnosis. Fifty-four presenting symptoms are discussed, covering approaches and conditions across various medical and surgical disciplines. Each chapter sets out the thought process behind history, examination, and investigations for a symptom, providing a systematic and practical algorithm to distinguish one differential from another. The reader will gain not only a functional approach to patients' presenting complaints, but also learn how to better organize and apply medical knowledge in diagnostic reasoning.

Readership: Medical students and first-year doctors.

Dr Nigel Fong is a Resident in Internal Medicine at Singapore General Hospital, Singapore's largest tertiary academic medical centre. He was a recipient of the prestigious President's scholarship, and graduated with honours from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore. Apart from clinical medicine, his interests include medical education and healthcare policy.