Today we had our first CPS. Other than the
So, you may be asking, "Um, Bethany... I'm an English Lit major... what in the world is a CPS?!" Well, I'll tell you!
As a class, we are given a chief complaint and it is our job to attempt to diagnose what this person has. This is very similar to our OSCE, which will take place individually.
Our problem was a "42 yr. old male with blurry vision for 3-4 months." Now, I'm not going to go through the whole entire process, because it took us almost 2 hours... But here's an overview.
First we went through the differential diagnosis (all possible problems that could cause blurry vision). We had about 15 or so...
Second, we then began to ask questions. Unfortunately it was super disorganized and it wasn't how I would have done it.. but nonetheless, we got to where we wanted... This is one of the most important parts of an appointment. It has been said that 90% of problems and be diagnosed with just a history.
Third, we began the physical examination. We began with vitals, and then inspection, then we did some visual tests, and then we looked at the eye (hypothetically...) After the physical exam, we decided what tests we thought would be the most important to order.
Lastly, we can up with a treatment plan.
In our case, we thought the guy had diabetic retinopathy (but we couldn't rule out hypertension either...). It was narrowed down to about 5-6 before the physical examination just but asking questions for the history. After looking in his eyes and getting vitals, we ruled it down to about 2: diabetes and hypertension. Since nothing was confirmed (due to needing further tests), we DID know that he needed a lifestyle change...so a referral to an eye doctor and a nutritionist was our plan..
It was kinda fun and I'm looking forward to all this practical stuff... It also made me realize that I should probably go back over last semesters information just to freshen up...
I'm gonna go nap now... Class again from 5-7pm. Luckily it's our LAST 5-7 class. Thank goodness...
Until next time...
So, you may be asking, "Um, Bethany... I'm an English Lit major... what in the world is a CPS?!"
ReplyDeleteACCURATE. :D
This sounds SUPER interesting though! And useful. I'm really glad you got a chance to do some practical application stuff instead of just studying. And I think it sounds like a good diagnosis (like I actually know, but whatever. IT SOUNDS LEGIT.). Keep up the awesome work, friend!