Author Description

A Simple Approach to Diagnosing. I started working on the Basics of Emergency Medicine as a resident over a decade ago -- after finding myself stuck on the same questions, patient after patient. I set out to create a new pocket reference -- based on the top-20 chief complaints seen in our ED -- and mimic what a senior resident would teach an intern if she had only 5 minutes. Within a year, we circulated a photocopied version of our guidebook in New York City residency programs and, not long after, EMRA offered to publish it and send it free to all EM interns in the country. Pediatrics Version. As an EM resident, I never felt my best taking care of pediatric patients. Developing a gestalt for dangerous pediatric diagnoses was difficult, as they were so rare. An early survey of 'Basics of Emergency Medicine' users demonstrated a large demand for Peds EM version. It became clear that all types of EM clinicians -- not just interns, med students, off-service rotators, and NRs/PAs, but also seasoned attendings -- might benefit from a pediatric version of our 'Basics' guide. Just the Basics. We need to be very clear: this is not a comprehensive guide. It's meant to be a practical tool to be used on the fly as a framework for learning. It's an easy-to-use resource that ensures the basics aren't overlooked. But it is not meant to cover all possible diagnoses or to replace any part of the teaching and caregiving structure or clinical judgement. All information should be checked by those providing care.