Emergency on the Couch - Emergency Situations in General Practice

Data

Official data in SubjectManager for the following academic year: 2025-2026

Topic

Family doctors may see patients requiring emergency care at any time during their daily work or primary care visits. As the first observer, the role of the family doctor is crucial in the recognition, care, and possible differential diagnosis of emergency conditions. During the course, students will become familiar with the tools and competencies of the general practitioner in an emergency situation. Through case discussions, students will gain insight into the challenges of primary care emergencies, which include providing health care in atypical settings (e.g., care in the patient's home, public place, car, office); the need to weigh factors of uncertainty (e.g., lack of lab and imaging, telephone consultation); managing the sense of uncertainty caused by independent decision-making; assessing school/social/mental situation and communicating with family members. The case discussion aims to provide medical students with a situation for independent decision-making and to practice taking a stand in that situation. The main strength of the course is the possibility to participate in a situational exercise with a few students. The course can be completed in blocks, the second day will be held in the MediSkillsLab.

Lectures

• 1.

  What can/ should the general practitioner do in an emergency situation? The role of standardized history taking and examination. Decision support systems.

  - Várnai Réka
• 2.

  Basic diagnostics and therapy. Review of the emergency kit, knowledge check.

  - Várnai Réka

Practices

Seminars

• 1.

  "My stomach is just burning." - Acute coronary syndrome care in a general practice setting

  - Várnai Réka
• 2.

  "I can't be pregnant." - Differential diagnosis of acute abdominal pain in primary care 

  - Várnai Réka
• 3.

  "Antipyretics and plenty of fluids should be enough, right?" - Aspects of care for a febrile child, febrile adult

  - Várnai Réka
• 4.

  "Grandma is more confused than usual." - Confusion as a common indication for emergency admission

  - Várnai Réka
• 5.

  "Everyone smokes in my house" - Acute dyspnoea morning, noon and evening

  - Várnai Réka
• 6.

  "My husband told me to come in." - Deep vein thrombosis - pulmonary embolism - anticoagulation

  - Várnai Réka
• 7.

  MediSkillsLab

  - Várnai Réka
• 8.

  MediSkillsLab

  - Várnai Réka
• 9.

  MediSkillsLab

  - Várnai Réka
• 10.

  MediSkillsLab

  - Várnai Réka

Reading material

Obligatory literature

Literature developed by the Department

Notes

Recommended literature

Donald Briscoe, Bruce S. Britton: Case Files Family Medicine

Conditions for acceptance of the semester

-

Mid-term exams

Successful case resolution

Making up for missed classes

Follow-up work is not possible for absences exceeding 25% of the total number of hours.

Exam topics/questions

-

Examiners

Instructor / tutor of practices and seminars

• Várnai Réka