Cardiac Diagnosis for Acute Care: The NP's and PA's Guide to a Comprehensive History and Deciphering the Differential

Helps clinicians to systematically look beyond the obvious to arrive at a correct diagnosis Written specifically for both the notice and experienced cardiovascular clinician in acute care settings, this is the only resource to focus on the art of conducting an indepth patient history. Quite often, a patient will tell their first provider one thing, and their second provider something else, even when asked the exact same question. If recorded and interpreted correctly, a clinician can use a comprehensive history alone to obtain a correct diagnosis without exhaustive and expensiveevaluations. Using the steps and strategies outlined in this text, the cardiovascular clinician will learn to adopt specific and detailed a line of questioning to dissect patient symptoms down to their core. This book includes two clinical scenarios for chief complaints that cardiovascular clinicians may see in their practice. Unpacking these scenarios challenge clinicians to look beyond the obvious and recognize atypical presentations. Each scenario dissects and then discusses the history and other pertinent patient information to illuminate subtle differences in the process of information gathering. With this breakdown, the clinician can then identify if the patient has an acute cardiovascular issue. Each chapter ends with a sample of “how to present the patient” to an MD or peer and describes common pitfalls and assumptions to avoid. Key Features:: Focuses specifically on acute cardiovascular issues in acute care settings Referenced by chief complaint or consult questions Targets patient history portion of the work up Examines subtle differences between cardiac diagnosis vs. non-cardiac diagnosis based on how patient history is taken Highlights common errors in review of information using EMR vs. standard questioning