Differential Diagnosis in Primary Care
1. Edition March 2009
184 Pages, Softcover
Practical Approach Book
Short Description
Reaching a provisional diagnosis is the most difficult part of any General Practitioner (GP) consultation. The subsequent formulation of a management plan is often straightforward. This book focuses entirely on formulating likely diagnoses rather than the investigation or management of them. It covers all common symptoms which present in General Practice and lists their recognized causes in order of prevalence, providing an essential resource for GPs to distinguish between benign and serious conditions and therefore practice safely.
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.
Need for this book.
How to use the book.
1. Head & Neck.
Facial pain.
Headache.
Neck lump.
Neck pain.
2. Ophthalmology.
Dry eyes.
Eyelid swelling.
Painful eye.
Ptosis.
Red eye.
Visual loss.
Watery eye.
3. Ear, Nose & Throat.
Blocked nose.
Dysphagia.
Epistaxis.
Hearing loss.
Hoarse voice.
Painful ear.
Rhinorrhoea.
Tinnitus.
4. Thorax.
Breathlessness.
Chest pain.
Cough.
Haemoptysis.
Palpitations.
Stridor.
Wheeze.
5. Abdomen.
Abdominal mass.
Abdominal distension.
Abdominal pain.
Constipation.
Diarrhoea.
Jaundice.
Lump in the groin.
Perianal pain.
Pruritus ani.
Rectal bleeding.
6. Urinary tract.
Acute urinary retention / Oliguria.
Frequency.
Haematuria.
Incontinence.
Loin pain.
Urgency.
7. Women's health.
Amenorrhoea / Oligomenorrhoea.
Breast lump.
Breast pain.
Dysmenorrhoea.
Dyspareunia.
Intermenstrual / Post-coital bleeding.
Menorrhagia.
Nipple discharge.
Postmenopausal bleeding.
Vaginal bleeding in pregnancy.
Vaginal discharge.
Vulval itch.
Vulval lump.
8. Men's health.
Gynaecomastia.
Impotence.
Penile discharge.
Scrotal lump.
Scrotal pain.
9. Musculoskeletal.
Ankle pain.
Back pain.
Calf pain.
Elbow pain.
Hand pain.
Heel pain.
Hip pain.
Knee pain.
Shoulder pain.
Swollen joints.
Swollen leg / foot.
10. Skin, Nails & Hair.
Blisters.
Hair loss.
Hirsutism.
Facial erythema.
Moles.
Nail discoloration.
Nodules.
Pruritus.
Purpuric / petechial rash.
Skin discoloration.
11. Mental Health.
Aggression.
Psychosis.
Fatigue.
Insomnia.
12. Miscellaneous.
Confusion.
Dizziness.
Dysphasia.
Falls.
Night sweats.
Tremor.
Weight gain.
Weight loss.
.
Index.
Listed by main disease areas
"This is a highly useful book to keep readily available in the outpatient office as a memory aid when confronted with a less-than-textbook presentation of symptoms." (Doody's , August 2009)
Private & NHS General Practitioner
Dr Nairah Rasul BSc (Hons) MBBS
Senior House Officer in Vocational Training for General Practice