Diagnosis and Treatment in Internal Medicine

Book excerpt: Diagnosis and Treatment in Internal Medicine equips trainee doctors with the essential skills and core knowledge to establish a diagnosis reliably and quickly, before outlining the management of the clinical condition diagnosed. Organised into three sections, the first provides a vital overview, whilst the second focuses on common presentations and diagnoses. Uniquely, this new book shows readers how to turn symptoms into a list of diagnoses ordered by probability - a differential diagnosis. Experienced consultants who teach trainees every day demonstrate how to derive an ordered differential diagnosis, how to narrow this down to a single diagnosis and if not, how to live with diagnostic uncertainty. The final section provides a comprehensive account of the management of system-based syndromes and diseases. Highly-structured chapters emphasize how common conditions present, how to approach a diagnosis, and how to estimate prognosis, treatment and its effectiveness. An onus is placed on the development of crucial diagnostic skills and the ability to devise evidence-based management plans quickly and accurately, making this an ideal text for core medical trainees.