Evidence-Based Diagnostic Testing for Emergency Care: Diagnostic Testing and Clinical Decision Rules

This useful handbook provides a concise compilation of the evidence supporting diagnostic testing and clinical decision rules in emergency care. Clinical decision rules are now widely recognised as best practice for the ordering of diagnostic tests in the emergency department.

Aimed at all physicians working with emergency and acute patients, the book begins with an overview of how to evaluate a diagnostic test using an evidence-based approach, followed by an explanation of the clinical decision rules and the methods of assessing the strength and applicability of the clinical prediction rule.

These introductory chapters are followed by sections covering the following clinical areas:

* Traumatic Injuries

* Cardiology

* Infectious Disease

* Surgical and Abdominal Complaints

* Urology

* Neurology

* Ophthalmology, Hematology, Rheumatology

* Pulmonology.

For each test and clinical decision rule, the most current and best available studies in the literature are discussed and applied to emergency department and acute care patients in addressing the question at hand, followed by an overall recommendation on how to use the test or rule in the clinical context.

Evidence-Based Emergency Care is an accessible and extremely useful reference for physicians at all levels to use in applying an evidence-based approach to ordering and interpreting tests in an acute care environment.

Worth W. Everett is Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA.

Jesse M. Pines, MD, MBA and Worth Everett, MD

Both Dr. Pines and Dr. Everett practice emergency medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

They are trained in clinical epidemiology and biostatistics, and well versed in evidence-based medicine methodology