This book for emergency physicians and fellows training in emergency medicine provides evidence-based information on what diagnostic tests to ask for and when and how to use particular decision rules. The new edition builds on the success of the current book by modifying the presentation of the evidence, increasing the coverage, and updating the current information throughout.
Getting the right diagnosis is a key aspect of health care - it provides an explanation of a patient's health problem and informs subsequent health care decisions. The diagnostic process is a complex, collaborative activity that involves clinical reasoning and information gathering to determine a patient's health problem. According to Improving Diagnosis in Health Care, diagnostic errors-inaccurate or delayed diagnoses-persist throughout all settings of care and continue to harm an unacceptable number of patients. It is likely that most people will experience at least one diagnostic error in their lifetime, sometimes with devastating consequences. Diagnostic errors may cause harm to patients by preventing or delaying appropriate treatment, providing unnecessary or harmful treatment, or resulting in psychological or financial repercussions. The committee concluded that improving the diagnostic process is not only possible, but also represents a moral, professional, and public health imperative. Improving Diagnosis in Health Care, a continuation of the landmark Institute of Medicine reports To Err Is Human (2000) and Crossing the Quality Chasm (2001), finds that diagnosis-and, in particular, the occurrence of diagnostic errorsâ€"has been largely unappreciated in efforts to improve the quality and safety of health care. Without a dedicated focus on improving diagnosis, diagnostic errors will likely worsen as the delivery of health care and the diagnostic process continue to increase in complexity. Just as the diagnostic process is a collaborative activity, improving diagnosis will require collaboration and a widespread commitment to change among health care professionals, health care organizations, patients and their families, researchers, and policy makers. The recommendations of Improving Diagnosis in Health Care contribute to the growing momentum for change in this crucial area of health care quality and safety.
Technology assessment can lead to the rapid application of essential diagnostic technologies and prevent the wide diffusion of marginally useful methods. In both of these ways, it can increase quality of care and decrease the cost of health care. This comprehensive monograph carefully explores methods of and barriers to diagnostic technology assessment and describes both the rationale and the guidelines for meaningful evaluation. While proposing a multi-institutional approach, it emphasizes some of the problems involved and defines a mechanism for improving the evaluation and use of medical technology and essential resources needed to enhance patient care.
Primary care medicine is the new frontier in medicine. Every nation in the world has recognized the necessity to deliver personal and primary care to its people. This includes first-contact care, care based in a posi tive and caring personal relationship, care by a single healthcare pro vider for the majority of the patient's problems, coordination of all care by the patient's personal provider, advocacy for the patient by the pro vider, the provision of preventive care and psychosocial care, as well as care for episodes of acute and chronic illness. These facets of care work most effectively when they are embedded in a coherent integrated approach. The support for primary care derives from several significant trends. First, technologically based care costs have rocketed beyond reason or availability, occurring in the face of exploding populations and diminish ing real resources in many parts of the world, even in the wealthier nations. Simultaneously, the primary care disciplines-general internal medicine and pediatrics and family medicine-have matured significantly.
This volume, developed by the Observatory together with OECD, provides an overall conceptual framework for understanding and applying strategies aimed at improving quality of care. Crucially, it summarizes available evidence on different quality strategies and provides recommendations for their implementation. This book is intended to help policy-makers to understand concepts of quality and to support them to evaluate single strategies and combinations of strategies.
EVIDENCE-BASED EMERGENCY CARE DIAGNOSTIC TESTING AND CLINICAL DECISION RULES THIRD EDITION Improve and streamline the diagnostic decision-making process in emergency care The newly revised third edition of Evidence-Based Emergency Care: Diagnostic Testing and Clinical Decision Rules offers an updated review of the evidence and expert discussion of relevant issues in diagnostic testing in the everyday practice of emergency medicine. This book also provides a detailed overview of the science of diagnostic testing and reviews the process behind the development of clinical decision rules. The focus is asking and answering practical questions using original research studies, while commenting on the best available evidence for relevant clinical topics. Readers will also find: Comprehensive explorations of COVID-19, telemedicine, trauma, cardiology, infectious disease, and surgical and abdominal complaints Practical discussions of urology, neurology, hematology, ophthalmology, pulmonology, rheumatology, and geriatric medicine Exploration of practice and policy considerations of testing in an era of limited resources The book is perfect for emergency medicine physicians, nurses, and other allied health professionals. Readers of Evidence-Based Emergency Care: Diagnostic Testing and Clinical Decision Rules, Third Edition will also earn a place in the libraries of administrators and managers in healthcare settings seeking to optimize the use of scarce resources while maintaining the highest standards of care.
Diagnostic Tests Toolkit Diagnostic Tests Toolkit Finding the evidence for diagnostic tests Establishing an evidence-based methodology to assess the effectiveness of diagnostic tests has posed problems for many years. Now that the framework is in place health professionals can find and appraise the evidence for themselves. With Diagnostic Tests Toolkit clinicians and junior researchers can interpret the evidence for the effectiveness of different types of diagnostic tests, or develop their own research using the successful ‘step-by-step’ format of the Toolkit series. Written by renowned clinical researchers, this is the first basic guide to evidence-based diagnosis. It is equally valuable to starters in clinical research and those needing a quick refresher on the core elements of evidence-based diagnosis.
Learn to accurately diagnose the majority of patients seen in today’s primary care settings! Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Diagnosis in Primary Care, 6th Edition goes beyond basic history and physical examination skills to help you learn the diagnostic reasoning process. You will develop this key skill by following assessment guidelines that focus on a specific complaint rather than beginning with a previously established diagnosis or disease entity. Written by advanced practitioners, this edition includes a new chapter on The Transgender Patient that gives you the knowledge you need to properly assess and care for this underserved patient population. It also features expanded coverage of geriatrics, highly infectious diseases, coordination with the interprofessional healthcare team, genetics/genomics in lab testing and family history, updates on psychiatric-mental health problems, and more! A clear, consistent diagnostic reasoning process takes you to the next step of health assessment -- beyond basic history and physical examination to diagnostic reasoning.Diagnostic Reasoning: Focused History sections use "self-questions" to walk you through the thinking process involved in obtaining a pertinent, relevant, problem-specific history that will assist in differential diagnosis.Diagnostic Reasoning: Focused Physical Examination sections explain how to perform more advanced diagnostic techniques and interpret the findings.Key Questions guide you through assessment and toward an accurate diagnosis by listing questions to ask the patient, followed by explanations of what the patient's responses might signify.Laboratory and Diagnostic Studies sections outline the types of tests that might be appropriate based on the focused history and focused physical examination.Differential Diagnosis sections offer the most common diagnoses for each patient problem and summarize the history and physical examination findings, along with recommended laboratory and diagnostic studies.Differential Diagnosis tables provide you with a quick-reference summary of possible diagnoses for each patient problem.Evidence-Based Practice boxes -- more than 30 NEW -- summarize the scientific evidence related to the diagnosis of patient problems.Evidence-Based Preventive Health Screening chapter helps you to screen for common asymptomatic conditions and promote wellness.Information on screening for abuse and sexual assault helps you identify patients who might need additional support or intervention.List of Chapters by Body System provides a convenient Table of Contents organized by body system.
