Few doctors receive formal training in how to conduct an outpatient consultation or how to compose and dictate an outpatient letter. Trainee surgeons in each new specialty spend their first few weeks in outpatient clinics learning by experience with all the pitfalls this entails. Much work involves seeing patients who have been brought back for review by their predecessors. Problems are caused by inexperience, unfamiliarity, fear of making mistakes, the pressure of patient numbers and lack of training.New doctors will find little help in the standard textbooks on how to follow-up patients.This book provides the necessary background information to enable rational decision making in a concise and economical style. It describes reasonable and safe lines of management suitable for most patients, ideal for when discussion with a senior colleague is not possible. Since the First Edition was published surgical outpatient services have undergone tremendous change. The traditional general surgical clinic has been replaced by specialist clinics where decisions on patient management are taken by multidisciplinary teams.This new edition is multi-authored to take account of the multidisciplinary approach. As well as an overall review of general outpatient issues, every major specialty is covered, with clear notes for each condition covering history, examination, investigations, results, treatment, follow-up and post-operative follow-up. The book can be read before or during clinics, and enables trainees to have an action plan in mind before they walk into a consultation. All surgeons have to be trained to go through the process of dealing with unfamiliar clinical conditions for the first time. Surgeons will use this book as a useful foundation on which to build their own personal knowledge.
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