Clinical Skills Explained guides readers through the clinical skills typically required at medical school. Most clinical skills books are either brief 'checklist-type' books, or very detailed physical examination books. Clinical Skills Explained is different, it covers the topic concisely to fit in with the needs of the modern medical student, but also provides enough background knowledge to ensure the reader knows the why as well as the how.
The book is written in a clear logical style and covers:
• history taking
• clinical examinations
• standard procedures
Each chapter starts by providing a short step-by-step guide to what you need to do (the ideal aide-memoire) then describes the background knowledge and relevant pathophysiology before moving on to a systematic approach on how to tackle the skill at hand. At all stages the text is supported by clear full colour diagrams to reinforce understanding.
The authors also provide quick reminder boxes covering:
• top tips
• medical guidelines
• differential diagnoses
• diagnostic indicators
To test your understanding, each chapter ends with a series of clinical scenarios that are typical of the cases you will come up against. These encourage you to assess the key features, consider the likely diagnosis, and decide what questions you might ask, or further investigations you might request, to confirm your diagnosis.
