Clinical Skills for Adult Primary Care

This text provides primary care physicians, house officers and nurse practitioners with expert guidance in acquiring clinical information through the bedside skills of history-taking and physical examination. Emphasis is placed on diagnosis based on clinical findings and use of laboratory tests. The book begins with an in-depth discussion of the role of the primary care physician. The second section focuses on the patient interview and includes discussions on the general history and the recognition of mental illness. The third section is a complete, systematic guide to obtaining and interpreting information from the physical examination. The final section offers advice on the appropriate utilization of various initial routine laboratory tests.