This genuinely pocket-sized guide to being on call is ideal for medical students and newly qualified junior doctors seeking a convenient and concise handbook to refer to in busy clinical settings. Clear, concise and systematic, Pocket on Call contains exactly what you need to make rapid and appropriate decisions without overwhelming or extraneous information.With this book in your pocket, you’ll be equipped to tackle being on call appropriately and with confidence. Answering the questions that are not always addressed in the lecture theatre, with this book as an indispensable companion the inexperienced doctor will be equipped to tackle being on call appropriately and with confidence.
‘GETTING SET’
General Introduction
Introduction to On Call
Preparing for On-Call Work
ACUTELY UNWELL PATIENTS
Being Alerted to Unwell Patients
Remembering the Alphabet ... the ‘A, B, C, D, E’ Assessment
The Patient with Chest Pain
The Patient with Shortness of Breath
The Patient with an Upper GI Bleed
The Acutely Collapsed Patient
The Fitting Patient
The Patient with Acute Abdominal Pain
The Patient with Sepsis
The Patient in Cardiac Arrest
The Fallen Patient
The Patient with a Transfusion Reaction
The Patient with Hyperkalaemia
The Patient with an Acute Stroke
The Patient with Low Urine Output
SITUATIONS AND COMMUNICATION
Talking to Micro …
Presenting to Seniors
Ordering Portable Plain Chest Radiographs (CXRs)
Certifying the Deceased Patient
The Post-Take Ward Round
Blood Bank, Blood Products, and Massive Haemorrhage Protocols
Needlestick Injury
PRESCRIBING
Safe Prescribing
Analgesia
Anti-emetics
Fluid Prescribing
Bibliography
Biography
Andrew Stewart, Specialist Registrar in Anaesthetics and Intensive Care Medicine, Sheffield, UK