Yesterday I wrote about prioritizing my work tasks and focusing on tasks that Important and Urgent. With limited work hours and year-end deadlines I don’t want to get bogged down with tasks that are Not Important and Not Urgent.
Abdominal pain is a fairly common complaint and since the belly is the big mystery zone it is tough to determine if a patient’s complaint is an emergency or not an emergency.
Let’s make the assumption that the patient’s complaint is important – it’s their belly and it hurts. Now what would make abdominal pain Urgent? Specifically what signs, symptoms, or exam findings will help you decide if a patient’s belly pain is an emergency?
For example, abdominal pain with a fever is important.
Now it’s your turn. What else makes abdominal pain urgent?
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