Medical Skills

Prognostication of acute neurologic disease is a major task for neuro-hospitalists and neuro-intensivists. The family conference raises the delicate matter of how to decide that outcome is indefinitely poor and how to define disability. This online resource guides practitioners on how to communicate prognosis in acute neurologic conditions. It includes useful data on prognosis in all major neurologic conditions and provides practical advice on how to effectively lead such a conference and how to resolve potential conflicts. It also provides straightforward common sense on-the-spot advice and touches on all aspects of support of devastated families.Less

The professional interview is a charged psychological encounter and hurdle, necessary for all of us to traverse in order to move on in our lives and careers. The interviewer is the gatekeeper who holds the keys to our brighter future. This book is a detailed examination of the interview experience and our role as the interviewee within it. This book does not consider the content required for any given interview; instead, it looks in detail at the interview processes and performance from a psychological perspective in order to be the best we can be. Deconstructing the Interview teaches a way of mindfully connecting with the interview space, operating externally in the room, and guiding our answers and performance with situational awareness and an enhanced understanding of the psychological factors at play. As well as communication skills, both verbal and non-verbal, this book considers in detail our interface with the external world around us; to improve and refine our interview skills, and to operate in the room as our true authentic selves. Here we accept and embrace anxiety as an essential part of this process, and we choose to be ‘mindfully anxious’. This book breaks down the interview stage and its players from a psychological perspective, and helps the reader build interview skills from the ground up. This is a new and novel approach in helping the reader prepare for the interview process, and builds on the author’s previous book in this series (Deconstructing the OSCE, 2014, OUP).Less

Echocardiography has become the most requested imaging modalities. It is the first line imaging in the diagnostic work-up and monitoring of most cardiac diseases. Echocardiography is harmless and combines low-cost high technology with easy accessibility. The advent of the new modalities such as harmonic imaging, tissue Doppler imaging, speckle tracking, real time 3-dimensional imaging, ad contrast cavity enhancement have also contributed to expand the role of echocardiography. It provides rapid quantitative information about cardiac structure and function, valvular motion, vascular system and haemodynamics at bedside. This imaging technique is considered an extension of the physical examination. Proper technical skills and knowledge are required for the optimal application of echocardiography. Disease-focused and succinct, the present handbook covers the information needed to perform and interpret echocardiogramsaccurately, including how to set up the echomachine to optimize an examination and how to perform echocardiographic disease assessment, and the clinical indicators, procedures, and contraindications. Sections include assessment of the left ventricular systolic dysfunction and diastolic function, discussion on ischaemic heart disease, heart valve disease, cardiomyopathies, pericardial disease, congenital heart disease, and many other aspects of echocardiology. Many talented people have contributed to the present handbook, which represents the pocket echocardiography book flagship of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging. This book is intended principally as a clinical guide to the broad field of echocardiography at a glance.Less

Aimed specifically at the Knowledge-Based Assessment, Revision Notes for Cardiology provides the first clear and accessible revision resource created specifically for this new and compulsory examination. Each chapter exactly maps the core cardiology training curriculum, giving measurable assurance that the information provided is what test-takers need to pass. Each chapter is written by a senior cardiology trainee in collaboration with a senior consultant who has expertise in that specific field, ensuring that the content is authoritative and draws on the latest guidelines and documents. Concise, bullet-points in the layout allow easy access to and digestion of the key points, and numerous tables, boxes and figures make this the ideal accompaniment to retaining the large and varied amount of information needed to pass the examination.Less

Geriatric medicine: an evidence based approach is an online clinical reference for health care professionals who manage older patients, and summarizes up-to-date research literature in a style that can be directly applied by busy healthcare professionals and provide a useful resource for reference. Because people are living longer and the population over the age of 60 is burgeoning, there are repercussions for health services and healthcare expenditure in developed countries. This online resource covers disease aetiology, diagnosis, and treatment specific to older people, and how they differ from those of the general adult population. Additionally, it covers the complicated co-morbidities older people often have and how they respond to treatment in different ways compared to younger people. It also addresses how evidence of efficacy of different treatments is often lacking because older people are under-represented in clinical trials. Less

This valuable tool, written by experts, offers practical guidance in the principles of consent, alongside procedure-specific information on risks and benefits

The Hospital and Clinic Improvement Handbook is about doing more using existing resources. For example, achieving more throughput in the operating rooms, reducing waiting times at the emergency department, and improving clinical quality. This is done using the well-established Lean techniques together with the breakthrough philosophies and techniques of the theory of constraints (TOC). These methods and their underlying tools are put together with techniques and methodologies implemented by the authors in dozens of healthcare organizations. The tools include the complete kit concept, the Pareto methodology, the focusing table, and the focusing matrix. The book introduces simple tools that can be implemented quite easily in any hospital or clinic. It also focuses on the implementation process using tools like the 3–1–1 model that directs managers where to focus their limited time resources to best improve the performance of their organizations. Finally, the book introduces effective yet simple performance measures and prescribes the process of ongoing improvement.Less

Rheumatic disease is a major cause of morbidity and disability in the Western world. There have been major developments in our understanding of the causes of rheumatic disease and in their treatment during the last half-century, and there are relatively few papers which can be regarded as truly 'landmark' in their construction and subsequent findings. Part of the Landmark Papers in series, this title provides a detailed review of the seminal papers that have paved the way for breakthroughs in the clinical management of the entire spectrum of rheumatic diseases.Less

The use of simulation-based education has become widely embedded in almost all areas of healthcare. Medical educators have enthusiastically accepted the range of techniques offered by simulation to enhance, supplement, and excite learners at all levels of their lifelong education. This manual outlines the principles and practices of simulation that have application to every level of healthcare education. Its role in supplementing traditional educational techniques, as well as introducing newer methodologies for learning, assessment, and research, are included. In this second edition, all chapters and the glossary have been updated to reflect the changes in our understanding of the optimal use of simulation. The authors have generously included their own suggestions, tips, examples, and even programme outlines to help you get started. Finally, new chapters that focus on patient safety, interprofessional education, and intensive care medicine have been introduced. This may be the only healthcare simulation book you will ever need.Less

MBA for Healthcare is designed to provide healthcare providers with a modus operandi for virtually all aspects of “the business of medicine.” This educational book is a unique tool, and it has been designed with healthcare providers at all levels in mind so that they may promptly acquire basic and advanced knowledge regarding the business aspects of medicine. It is most important that clinicians and allied health professionals understand the essentials of healthcare management. The increased visibility of managed care and value-based purchasing, the uncertain future of independent medical practices, and marketing and competitive advantage now have a greater significance. Healthcare professionals must now be familiar with at least some aspects of informational technology, which is become increasingly relevant to the practice of medicine. Learning about cost accounting is also essential for incorporating clinical ideas into resource-based decisions. In addition, the field of “organizational behavior” is extremely germane to all healthcare providers.Less

Patient expectations for immediate, risk-free healthcare have never been greater; the scrutiny that the medical profession face to deliver this perfect care has also never been greater; the complexity of the law under which we work and practise is ever-increasing, yet clinicians are meant to have an up-to-date understanding of all these matters. Many legal texts are written in ‘legalese’ language, which may be off-putting or confusing to the medical professional, especially in times of urgency and stress. This book has been written in an attempt to overcome these concerns while specifically aimed at the non-legally trained healthcare practitioner. It offers pragmatic easy-to-access information and guidance for the busy clinician needing to check the legal landscape before, during, or after treatments and consultations. This book is designed to be your number one reference for all medicolegal matters that demand an immediate answer. Each chapter details pertinent case law, statutes and legislation, and professional guidance, before considering specific aspects of medicolegal importance. Sections of text are complimented with a ‘key points’ summary box to act as a reminder or revision aid. Further reading is suggested at the end of each chapter, including links to websites that can provide up-to-date advice as the law changes and evolves. An alphabetical glossary of legal terms at the end of the book offers a rapid and easy reference that supports every chapter.Less

This resource offers theoretical and practical guidance for those planning, delivering, and receiving education and training in ever-changing healthcare environments. Themes covered include assessment, professionalism and medical regulation, educational standards, patients' expectations, Continuing Professional Development, leadership and management, the European Working Time Directive, Fitness to Practice, interprofessional learning, the development of the NHS workforce, equality and diversity, and ethical and legal issues.Less

Modern medicine is one of humankind’s greatest achievements. Yet medical errors and irreproducibility in biomedical research suggest something is amiss. Concerns have driven considerable and thoughtful critical analyses, but the apparent intransigence of these problems suggests a different perspective is needed. The perspective pursued in this book begins with the idea that the need for certainty in medical decision-making has been and remains the primary driving force in medical reasoning. Faced with the unique challenges of having to treat the individual patient, the great variety of manifestations across patients is daunting. Either there are as many different “diseases” as there are patients, or there is some economical set of principles and facts that can be combined to explain each patient’s disease. Modern allopathic medicine follows from the presumption that economical sets of principles and facts exist. The challenge is to discover those principles and facts and develop means to reason from them to the individual patient in a way that provides certainty. Medical reasoning implicitly evolved from variations of logical deduction and induction reflected in the hypothetico-deductive, pattern recognition, and intuitive approaches used in medicine today. However, these require the judicious use of logical fallacies that increase utility but at the cost of certainty. Similarly, medical research necessarily requires the judicious use of a variation on syllogistic deduction. Their necessary use creates risks for errors. Many problems in medical reasoning and research are the consequence of injudicious uses. This book is a critical and historical analysis of medical reasoning from this perspective.Less

Motivational interviewing (MI) is among the most powerful tools available to promote behavior change in patients. In an age of chronic diseases (diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, obesity), behavior change is no longer limited to substance use or the field of psychiatry - maladaptive choices and behaviors that negatively impact health outcomes are rampant. This online resource explores how MI enhances contact with patients from every level of training, following an accessible, succinct approach, how to apply the MI method and skills into practice, includes numerous clinical scenarios, personal reflections, and online animated clinical vignettes (video clips), all of which can be integrated into regular ward rounds and office visits to provide an effective and efficient approach to patients’ clinical encounters.Less

This resource combines clearly written, practical text with over 200 illustrations and numerous flow charts which take the reader through the management of all the commonly encountered hepatobiliary and pancreatic pathologies and procedures. Less

Oxford Handbooks Study Cards are a versatile and innovative aid to revision. The content can also be used as an aid to examination on the ward, including vital techniques and tips to aid diagnosis. Defined sections allow the reader to find topics quickly, and are supplemented with full colour illustrations to aid quick and confident diagnoses. As the cards use a systems-based approach, they cover all essential diseases and syndromes.Less

Medical school is full of unfamiliar and often frightening experiences for students. In the first year, a student must move away from home, balance personal finances, assimilate large volumes of information, learn practical skills, pass high-stakes exams, and face a range of unique experiences. The Oxford Handbook for Medical School provides an essential, practical guide for all students, from receiving an offer and preparing for medical school, to starting as a student, preclinical years and exams, and intercalated degrees through to the clinical years, including succeeding on the wards and in clinic, right up to final exams and assessments, making career decisions, electives, and planning for the future. The handbook serves as a survival guide and an aid to navigating the range of opportunities medical school offers, as well as fully preparing students for their future career.Less

Investigation of patients with suspected disease has become highly complex, with an ever-expanding plethora of investigative techniques available to clinicians. This handbook details the techniques used in modern clinical medicine, across all the major specialties. Each chapter outlines the range of investigations available, along with preparation of the patient, complications, and interpretation of results. The handbook also includes a symptom-focused approach initially, which helps clinicians determine which system may be involved before, then reviews the specialty-specific sections of the book.Less

This new edition of this online resource is set out systematically with symptoms and signs through each specialty, and includes a detailed description of the basis of logical evidence-based differential diagnosis. It has been updated with more straightforward diagrams as well as brand new images to help aid understanding. Including rarer diagnoses alongside common conditions, and vital information about longer-term management alongside the initial treatments, it will ensure excellence and confidence no matter what signs and symptoms a patient presents with, and it will provide practical help when dealing with problems outside an area of expertise or in unforeseen situations.Less