The Expert Clinician

What are the aims of "The Expert Clinician?"

Most textbooks describe the traditional history and examination format: a format that has changed little in more than a hundred years despite profound changes in medical care and people and societies knowledge and attitudes. It is no longer fit for purpose and therefore is rarely used by more experienced clinicians. However, the little information available to help trainees make the transition from novice to expert is sequestered in scholarly publications. The Expert Clinician aims to fill this void: to bridge the clinical divide. It aims to restore the value of the consultation in the care pathway, to address "The Clinical Paradox" in which, as the number and availability of guidelines, tests and treatments increases so the importance of the consultation should increase rather than decrease. As expected in a "traditional" format, the terminology used is out-dated, incomplete and inaccurate. "Words matter": it is no longer appropriate to say, for example, that the patient is "complaining" or "taking drugs", the word “history” should only be used when referring to the past, and there are many more safety concerns than allergies. The terminology used in "The Expert Clinician" is different from the traditional terminology.

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