Evidence-Based Emergency Care

The ability to differentiate patients who need emergent treatment from those who do not is a vital skill in Emergency Medicine. Solid history-taking, a thorough physical examination, appropriate use of laboratory tests and imaging, and sound clinical judgement are all keys to making these decisions. However, determining which elements of the patient history, findings on the physical exam, and laboratory and imaging results to use can be challenging for emergency physicians and other providers in acute care settings. Evidence-Based Emergency Care: Diagnostic Testing and Clinical Decision Rules will equip you with the information you need to: Interpret and draw practical conclusions from published studies Understand both bottom-line conclusions and limitations of the various studies on diagnostic testing and clinical decision rules Learn how to make the best decision for your patient based on up-to-date evidence Part I provides an overview of the science of diagnostic testing, reviewing the process behindthe development of clinical decision rules and exploring the increasing pressures to improve the efficiency of diagnostic test utilization faced by emergency practitioners. Subsequent chapters focus on practical questions that have been addressed through original research studies. The authors provide a review of the current literature on a specific question, an interpretation of the clinical question in the context of the literature (focusing on the actual data behind the studies being referenced) and, finally, how the evidence can be most appropriately applied to the care of emergency patients. More than ever, you need Evidence-Based Emergency Care: Diagnostic Testing and Clinical Decision Rules, a trusted guide to the evidence on diagnostic testing in the emergency setting that will help you make