Caroline Rodgers is a GP Trainee, Cambridge VTS, Health Education East of England, Cambridgeshire, UK Richard Harrington is Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer, Nuffield Dept Primary Care Health Sciences and Associate Director, Graduate-entry Medicine, University of Oxford and a GP Partner, The Rycote Practice, Thame, Oxfordshire, UK
This is a helpful guide on evidence-based clinical reasoning in early patient contact for medical students. It is a first edition book published in the United Kingdom. Eleven chapters present discussions on clinical reasoning, diagnostic strategy, the history and examination, spot diagnosis and pattern recognition, red and yellow flags, restricted rule-outs, probabilistic reasoning, test of time, test of treatment, and various case studies. Full-color photographs are well presented. The case study chapters impart a classical Socratic method of teaching with questions that lead readers to diagnoses through various concepts (e.g., red and yellow flags). There are some references included, but this is appropriate as the book's objective is to teach students how to approach patients rather than present a study of specific conditions. As an introductory text for medical students early on their journey into medicine, this is a practical text. Vincent F Carr, DO, MSA, FACC, FACP Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences