Clinical Thinking

1. Patient is 42years old male alert and oriented 4

2. Had acute diarrhea after visiting Chicago on business trip ususall 3 day per year

3. Watery loose stool for 3 days

4. Streak of blood in stool lately

5. Frequency of 8 watery loose stool per day

6. Take over the counter Kaopectate

7. Had steak and burger sandwiches

8. Had mild headache, chill and fever 101.5, fatigue, loss of appetite, light headedness, elevated pulse rate 102

9. Feeling nauseous but no vomiting yet

10. Unable to go to week and must stay close to the bathroom

11. Stomach soreness/cramp

12. Had 2 school age children

QUESTION

Some clinicians may find it difficult to explain the logic behind their clinical thinking. As you gain experience, your clinical reasoning will begin at the outset of the patient encounter, not at the end. Reflect on the clinical reasoning you used during this virtual patient encounter. Describe the steps taken to identify and interpret the key findings in this case.  What are some “lessons learned” within the assessment that you can apply to your professional practice as a provider? Include the following components:

i. type 150-300 words in a Microsoft Word document

ii. demonstrate clinical judgment appropriate to the virtual patient scenario

iii. cite at least one relevant scholarly source as defined by program expectations

iv. communicate with minimal errors in English grammar, spelling, syntax, and punctuation