Managing Emergencies in the Outpatient Setting

Many primary care clinicians are busy to the point of being overwhelmed and there is not time to do thorough evaluations on every patient. The outpatient clinician must be able to quickly identify and manage the overtly ill but also those with potential or even hidden issues that require a referral to the emergency department. This book provides a concise yet comprehensive summary of the various conditions the primary care practitioner could encounter in his/her office that require emergency department referral. Organized system by system, this manual provides short, readable yet detailed descriptions of situations where the clinician must make the quick decision to escalate the level of care. The book is comprised of thirteen main sections, each detailing a medical specialty and is further broken down into specific conditions within these specialties. The specialties that are featured are cardiology, dermatology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, HEENT, hematology and oncology, infectious disease, nephrology, neurology, gynecology, ophthalmology, psychiatry, pulmonology and urology. The chapters are broken down into five key aspects. First, a brief synopsis of the problem is identified covering the incidence, the risk factors and general information to give the clinician the insight to manage the situation. Next, there is a review of key elements of the history that can elucidate whether the patient has or does not have the emergent condition. Physical exam findings that the clinician can look for during the evaluation are then discussed followed by diagnostics that the clinician can get quickly the same day to help evaluate the situation. Lastly, treatments that can be provided while waiting for the urgent or emergent condition to be evaluated are identified. Written by experts in the field, Managing Emergencies in the Outpatient Setting is a valuable resource for primary care physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners alike.