Toby Lipman wrote :
> I've been interviewing GPs to find out how they decide if children
> are sick or not. They do exactly as Marjan says and most claim
> that they can recognise "ill" or "not ill" more or less instantly.
> They describe this as a "gut feeling", but when questioned more
> closely mention alertness ("is the child interested in his/her
> surroundings?"), normal behaviour (playing with toys, watching
> TV) as opposed to being disinterested or "distant", co-operation
> with (or "naughty" resistance to) examination as opposed to
> distress. Most claim that it took them 2-3 years to learn how
> to do this reliably (or at least to trust their judgment) and they
> rarely have to change their first impression (of serious vs not
> serious) after clinical examination.
These comments struck me as resoundingly familiar. I worked with
stock (mainly cattle) for many years, and completed pre-clinical
veterinary studies. Stock people can be taught to detect sick
animals by detecting any sorts of abnormal behaviour. Similar
tactics are used to detect animals in heat. Of course, even after
teaching, some people are much better than others, and some are
almost mystical in their abilities. Most quickly develop an
understanding of severity of illness.
Has anyone considered asking vets or people who look after
livestock ? Perhaps some lessons could be learned. People
looking after stock on a commercial basis are very professional in
their approach. They too 'rarely have to change their first
impression after clinical examination'.
Mike.
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