Fundamentals of Clinical Practice: A Textbook on the Patient, Doctor, and Society

Of all the skills first- and second-year medical students are expected to cultivate during their training, the one that may not receive the attention it deserves is how to establish effective physician-patient relationship. These techniques often lie outside the traditional diagnostic, treatment and technical realms but are invaluable to physicians, regardless of the specialty they practice. As it becomes more and more evident that good interactions with patients facilitate the healing process, physicians need a guide to developing these crucial bonds. This updated text leads the physician-in-training through the world of patients' concerns, with three main sections: The Patient, The Doctor, and Society. The contributions, from nationally respected practitioners, delve into the many aspects of doctors' interactions with the world around them, and include discussions on: -Becoming a physician, with attention paid to the effects of the demanding educational/training process of the individual student; -Basic clinical skills such as interviewing, physical examination, laboratory testing, diagnosis, and accurate record keeping; -New approaches to improve decision making, patient education and negotiation, chronic illness management, counseling for behavior change, and functional status assessment; and -The cultural world of the patient, including the varied issues that make each patient a unique case. Case studies are also included which vividly bring to life these concepts, and recommendations for further reading are offered. Fundamentals of Clinical Practice, Second Edition presents medical students with a comprehensive guide to the social ramifications of a physician's work, and more experienced practitioners with the tools to augment their own patient-centered techniques. Human Health and Disease....Pages 3-20 The Individual and Family Life Cycle....Pages 21-47 Becoming a Physician....Pages 51-72 Being a Physician....Pages 73-98 The Physician in Literature....Pages 99-117 Interviewing as Clinical Conversation....Pages 119-131 Taking a History....Pages 133-147 Physical Examination....Pages 149-177 Appropriate Use of Laboratory Tests....Pages 179-196 Making a Diagnosis....Pages 197-217 Instituting Treatment....Pages 219-237 Recordkeeping and Presentation....Pages 239-267 The Difficult Clinical Conversation....Pages 269-284 Managing Chronic Illness....Pages 285-316 Counseling and Behavioral Change....Pages 317-335 Functional Assessment....Pages 337-357 Health Promotion and Disease Prevention....Pages 359-380 Keeping Up to Date....Pages 381-399 The Patient-Physician Relationship....Pages 403-429 The Family System....Pages 431-447 The Community....Pages 449-471 The Workplace....Pages 473-491 Public Health and the Environment....Pages 493-512 The Cultural Role of the Patient....Pages 513-539 The Healthcare System....Pages 541-574 Medical Ethics....Pages 575-604 Health Policy and Economics....Pages 605-628 The Law and Medicine....Pages 629-650 Spirituality and Medicine....Pages 651-670 The Tobacco Pandemic....Pages 671-687 Alcohol and Drug Abuse....Pages 689-716 Violence....Pages 717-739 Mental Illness....Pages 741-763 Sexually Transmitted Diseases....Pages 765-789 Maternal and Child Health....Pages 791-819

Comprised of 35 chapters, this textbook for medical students explores the patient's perspective on illness, what it means to be a physician both from a historical perspective and in today's society, the hands- on skills physicians need to practice medicine, and the importance of relationships and values to health. The second edition incorporates the formerly companion volume Introduction to clinical skills. Annotation ©2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR