Acute Diarrhea Diagnosis for New Nurse Practitioners Part 2

Patients presenting with an acute diarrheal illness is one of the MOST common chief complaints in primary care. They’re also typically worried, wondering if they need antibiotics AND usually want some sort of testing.

Last week’s video was part one of assessing this chief complaint, and I focused on the important history questions, physical assessment and the most important risk factors and triage components. Definitely go back and check that out if you haven’t already!

In this week’s video though, I’m covering:

• The most common presentation to watch out for in primary care
• What types of stool testing there are, and why you’d order them
• The most common pathogens you’re looking for, and how to order them
• Guidance for patients looking for antibiotics (and if they’re appropriate or not)

Further Resources:

• AAFP Printable table