We have chosen the following 100 cases in the hope that they are representative of the
breadth and depth of general practice. People bring all kinds of matters to the general
practitioner: those that pertain to health, illness and disease, and the physical, psycho-
logical, social and spiritual. As general practitioners we never know who will next come
through our doors, and what they will bring.
When diagnosis is called for, our style is normally hypothetico-deductive and our ques-
tions sometimes ask you to decide on the differential diagnosis on the basis of the
history we give you, and then to decide what line of further history-taking, focused
examination, investigations and management you might take. Other scenarios are more
classically inductive, presenting all the information first and then asking you to decide
on the differential diagnosis and management; several are purely about management,
communication or ethical considerations. We highlight the importance in our work of
effective communication, continuity of care, team work and the necessity of placing
patients’ health issues in the context of their community and their life circumstances
and experiences.
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