A few pearls can help prepare the mind

[摘要] While the amount of knowledge about complex diseases is expanding,the amount of time we can spend face to face with an individual patient—and to read up on his or her problems after the encounter—is shrinking. Andwhile medical care is depending more on subspecialists, it seems to be getting harder toget a patient in to see one. Thus, general internists and specialists increasingly need tolook at the whole patient to initiate care accurately and to triage consults effi ciently.We need to recognize the diverse problems that patients with potential multisystem disease can develop, lobby when necessary for them to be seen promptly by therelevant specialists, and initiate appropriate diagnostic testing and management inless-urgent scenarios. Most of us need frequent refreshers on the clinical manifestations of these disorders so that we can recognize them when they appear unannouncedin our exam rooms.

[学科分类] 卫生学