Evidence-Based Emergency Care: Diagnostic Testing and Clinical Decision Rules

Emergency physicians are many things, but one of the most important
things we try to be is great diagnosticians. Every shift we use limited information
in a busy, chaotic environment to make decisions. Sometimes, those
decisions can mean life or death and need to be made quickly. We strive to be
the best at exercising this important responsibility. This is the book that can
help clinicians achieve that goal.
The third edition contains the foundational elements of providing excellentevidence-based medicine (EBM) care. The authors start by discussing
diagnostic testing in the emergency department (ED). They explain the epidemiology
and statistics behind diagnostic testing. They appropriately
emphasize that clinical decision instruments are tools to guide care, not rules
to dictate care. They touch upon the additional responsibility of being good
stewards given the realities of limited resources. They also provide a chapter
to help clinicians understand the direction of bias in diagnostic research.
The third edition covers dozens of common and deadly conditions cliniciansare faced with in the ED. This includes chapters on pediatrics, geriatrics,
cardiac, neurological, surgical, trauma, infectious disease, and other
conditions.
SDM goes beyond informed consent and recognizes the autonomy and
agency of patients. We are making important decisions that must consider
patients’ values and preferences. This is one of the three pillars of EBM.
While we may be the experts in clinical medicine, patients are experts in
their own personal experiences. There are many examples where SDM can be
utilized in the ED in my clinical experience to enrich the therapeutic patient–
physician alliance.
If you want to provide patients the best care, based on contemporary evidence
then this is your book.