9 Integrated Case Practice Free Online FlashCards

What is the core cycle of clinical reasoning?

Recognize immediate threats, build and rank a differential, act on the highest-priority problems, then reassess and revise.

What does ABCDE stand for in an urgent assessment?

ABCDE means Airway, Breathing, Circulation, Disability, Exposure. Assess and address life-threatening problems in that order.

How should a working diagnosis be treated?

A working diagnosis is a testable explanation, not a commitment. Revise it when new evidence conflicts with it.

What three priorities help rank a differential diagnosis?

Compare what is most likely, what is most dangerous to miss, and what time-sensitive or reversible cause needs prompt action.

What belongs in a one-sentence problem summary?

Summarize age and relevant context, time course, key symptoms, major findings, and stability in one sentence.

What should happen when a patient is unstable?

Escalate and stabilize without waiting for a complete differential. Urgent care should not be delayed to finish broad testing or a lengthy history.

How should tests and interventions be selected?

Choose focused tests and interventions that address immediate threats or help distinguish the leading alternatives.

What makes reassessment purposeful?

State the expected change and set a time to review the response. Reassess symptoms, vital signs, and clinical condition after interventions.

Why should wheeze not settle a breathlessness diagnosis?

Wheeze alone does not establish airway reactivity as the diagnosis. Consider the history, examination, risk factors, and course, including other relevant causes.

What is the priority for chest discomfort with hypotension?

Treat the presentation as urgent: call for help, assess ABCDE, monitor closely, obtain an ECG and other urgent assessment per local protocol, and stabilize while evaluating the cause.

How should new abdominal tenderness change assessment in a hypotensive patient with fever?

Persistent hypotension plus new focal abdominal tenderness should prompt urgent escalation and reconsideration of the source, including bleeding or another abdominal emergency.

What is a diagnostic timeout?

A diagnostic timeout is a deliberate review of the working diagnosis when uncertainty or an unexpected course arises, helping expose missed alternatives.