Ejercer la medicina: enfoque práctico Sobrevivir al año rural

The texts brought together in Practicing medicine: A practical approach. Surviving the rural year suggest evidence- and experience-based medical practices for treating pathologies that are highly prevalent in rural and resource-poor areas of Colombia. They also include practical recommendations for initial diagnosis and treatment in different clinical situations. These may include the timely identification of risk factors that require the referral of patients to more advanced medical facilities, the need for specialized care, or the anticipation of possible deficiencies of supplies or technological resources.

This work is primarily intended for medical students soon to begin their clinical practice by performing their obligatory national service in rural areas, and doctors working in remote areas or providing basic levels of attention, including recommendations for treating problems such as snakebites, wounds and burns, dengue, poisoning, arterial hypertension, asthma, common pediatric maladies, and problems of pregnancy, among other things. Its 30 chapters are written by students in their last year of medical education (with the assistance of clinical specialists), and a final chapter establishes a framework for decision-making when faced with ethical problems that doctors frequently confront in their clinical practice.