The following guide can assist doctors working in Emergency Medicine to determine the scope of clinical knowledge required to function in this environment
- A clinical approach to any undifferentiated acute condition
- All serious differential diagnoses, causes or complications of a condition to consider that if missed or unaddressed leads to morbidity or mortality
- All common differential diagnoses e.g. > 10% of all causes
- Key diagnostic features of a all serious or common conditions or complications seen in acute presentations
- The important flags of a serious ddx or complication that warrants further investigation and the urgency in this needs to be made
- The most useful investigations to confirm or exclude a serious condition (once there is reason to suspect it – see point 5)
- Independently interpret the results of different investigations commonly ordered in ED to the point where a treatment/management/disposition decision can be made.
- Initial resuscitation of any serious condition or complication
- The ongoing resuscitation of any serious condition or complication if first line treatment fails
- The initial management and stabilisation of a serious or common acute complication
- The contraindications to any treatment, procedure or investigation that you would consider undertaking in the ED
- The principles of ongoing definitive care after EM management has completed (so that the correct disposition/referral is identified)
- The important prognostic features of acute conditions so that patients an relatives can understand the risk:benefit of treatments you provide
The above will guide your study, assist in writing your own practice exam question or predicting future exam questions.
This refers to relevant information for EM clinical practice (does not include medico-legal concepts or skills in other ACEM domains such as communication, teamwork, leadership, scholarship or patient advocacy)