Analysis of presenting symptoms and diagnoses made at Middlemore Hospital: an audit carried out between Monday 1 August and Sunday 7 August 2016.

CONCLUSIONS: Numerous patients are diagnosed with mild conditions after work-up in the emergency department, however a broad diagnostic approach is required by junior clinicians given the possibility of more worrying diagnoses. An analysis of specific markers used by junior clinicians to aid differential diagnosis shows that not all signs and symptoms are required to make common diagnoses. For example, the absence of a documented fever, raised CRP or both, does not rule out significant infection in the case of pneumonia, urinary tract infection and cellulitis. This audit contributes to understanding the case-mix within the emergency department at Middlemore Hospital and allows for tailoring of service delivery and education of junior clinicians. PMID: 31095542 [PubMed - in process]
Source: New Zealand Medical Journal - Category: General Medicine Tags: N Z Med J Source Type: research