Advanced Assessment and Clinical Diagnosis in Primary Care

This one-of-a-kind resource takes advanced practice clinicians and nurse practitioners beyond what is offered in current health assessment texts. Advanced assessment skills in history taking and differential diagnosis are thoroughly covered. The diagnostic reasoning process helps the practitioner or clinician effectively assess patients and determine accurate clinical diagnoses. Based on a body systems framework, each chapter discusses major problems associated with each particular body system. Both adults and children are included, with divergence in questions, examination, or interpretation of findings noted where pertinent.

* Emphasizes symptom- or problem-oriented approach to reflect real-life situations of how patients enter the health care system (with problems, not diagnostic labels). * Uses a Diagnostic Reasoning process to focus on the application of history and physical examination tools to arrive at an accurate clinical diagnosis. * Includes integrated content on children to provide the practitioner with vital information on how symptoms and diagnoses can vary in this population group. * Provides Diagnostic Reasoning - Focused History content in each section with actual questions for the practitioner to ask, taking the practitioner through the thinking process involved in obtaining a relevant problem-specific history. * Highlights Key Questions for the practitioner to ask the patient, followed by an interpretation or explanation of what patient responses might signify, to help guide the practitioner toward an accurate assessment and narrow down a precise diagnosis. * Includes Diagnostic Reasoning - Focused Physical Examination content in each section to instruct the practitioner in what physical examination components to perform. * Presents Laboratory and Diagnostic Studies content in each section that outline the laboratory or diagnostic tests appropriate for the chief complaint and,or suspected diagnosis. * Contains Differential Diagnostic content in each section to summarize the history and physical examination findings, along with the laboratory and diagnostic studies indicated. * Supplies Differential Diagnosis tables at the end of each section, providing a comprehensive overview of previously discussed differential diagnosis content, offering the practitioner an at-a-glance summary of potential diagnoses.