The consultation spine — what to ask, examine, explain and safety-net
Pick a presenting complaint to see the generic structure of a consultation for it: the history to take, the red flags to screen, the examination, the investigations, and the safety-netting, laid out in nine parts with the casebook case, protocol and pathway that go with it. It is the same for every reader — nothing is written for a particular patient and there is nothing to type in. The [bracketed] parts show what you would find out in a real consultation. Further down, SCA exam practice has model consultation write-ups for fictional cases.
Choose a presenting complaint
More presentations — red flags from each pathway (0)
🔗 Linked for this presentation
📘 Using the spine
Work through the nine parts in order. Red flags first, then the history, examination and investigations the presentation needs, then explain, agree a plan and safety-net. Check the plan against the protocol or pathway for the diagnosis — the spine does not choose treatment.
Model consultation write-ups
For exam practice only. Each is a model write-up of a fictional SCA case for one diagnosis, in the same nine parts. The [bracketed] parts are the details a candidate would take from the case. Read it as a worked example — it is not a record for a real patient, and doses must be checked in the current BNF.