Diagnostic Principles and Applications

This book fills the need for a resource presenting important diagnostic facts that clinicians should have learned during their classroom lectures and subsequent clinical training, but often didn't. The content will be literature-based information that can help the clinician avoid diagnostic errors. Most other diagnosis books on the market are either &quote;physical diagnosis&quote; texts targeting student readers or &quote;differential diagnosis&quote; books intended for use by practicing physicians, though both types of books aim to be comprehensive. What sets this book apart from other diagnosis books is that it is a curated collection of facts, tailored specifically to address common gaps in clinical knowledge and describe less-traveled pathways to important diagnostic destinations. This book focuses on high-impact techniques. Essential Diagnostic Facts Every Clinician Should Know contains: -Classical diagnostic pearls clinicians should have learned in physical diagnosis courses. For example, a patient with acute pericarditis may find that leaning forward relieves the pain. -Red flag symptoms of serious disease. For example, an infant that tastes salty when kissed might be the first clue to a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis. -Pathognomonic signs allowing an occasional early diagnosis: For example, Koplik spots in a febrile child are found only with measles. -Plastic pearls exposed: For example, contrary to clinical lore, back pain at night has not been found to be a useful indicator for serious spinal pathology. -Counterintuitive clinical manifestations: For example, the patient with gout may have a normal or even low serum uric acid level during an acute attack. -Clinical manifestations that may point to uncommon diagnoses: For example, nocturnal bone pain, sometimes dramatically relieved by aspirin, characterizes osteoid osteoma.