Making the right diagnosis does not guarantee that treatment will benefit an individual patient. Part five of Risky Business explores the links between testing, treatment and harm, and asks how diagnostic research can show whether patients actually do better.
Can case conferences help teams learn without becoming an exercise in blame? Rick Body uses a hypothetical asthma emergency to explore constructive reflection, fair feedback and the importance of recognising good care alongside opportunities to improve.
Philosophy of Emergency Medicine
How much diagnostic uncertainty can clinicians and patients accept? Part three of Risky Business explores how percentages and natural frequencies shape risk perception, and why missed disease must be weighed alongside the harms of further testing and the patient's perspective.
Philosophy of Emergency Medicine
How much difference does an individual emergency physician make? Simon Carley uses the idea of a personal number needed to treat to explore teamwork, meaningful outcomes and professional worth, before proposing a more useful comparison: whether you are improving on your own previous practice.
What should we say before intubating someone who may never regain consciousness? Through a hypothetical major-burns case, Simon Carley explores honesty, reassurance and the opportunity for final conversations, asking whether comforting words serve the patient and family or the resuscitation team.
Practical perspectives on trauma care and team leadership.
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