Emergency Cross-cover of Surgical Specialties: A Survival Guide

With the introduction of the European Working Time Directive and changes to doctors’ contracts, junior doctors are increasingly expected to cross-cover surgical specialties whilst on-call. Often these are specialties in which they have limited, or no, post-graduate experience. Furthermore, this is often out-of-hours, when senior supervision is less readily available. This survival guide, written by junior doctors for junior doctors, provides a concise and easy to read tool for doctors delivering this care. It covers each surgical speciality in turn, addressing speciality specific emergencies; when to admit patients; and when to call for senior help, as well as offering guidance on common referrals and questions, post-operative complications and common medical emergencies in surgical patients. In addition, it outlines key practical skills often required in surgical specialties, providing a summary of necessary skills and tips and tricks for performing them safely and successfully. Lastly, with increasing availability of high-quality Apps and websites, it summarises key online resources available for junior doctors within surgical specialties. This book is the ideal companion for any junior doctor, or member of the multidisciplinary team, involved in the cross-cover of surgical specialties, helping them to deliver high-quality patient care with confidence.