Actually, most cases that House takes on is relatively factual. It is, of course, intensified to make the episode more gripping but doctors and surgeons help write the script of House and they are the ones that come up with the medical conditions that they use in the episodes.
I think UpToDate is outstanding and have had access to it since one of my students (a high tech early adopter) gave me his demo copy in the mid 90’s. Interestingly, he had first encountered it when he took a nephrology elective in Boston with Burton Rose himself (i.e. the founder and chief editor of UpToDate).
As Qad has said, one of its major pluses is its contemporary summaries of best (evidence-based) practice. It saves a HUGE amount of work by having the relevant RCTs for any given issue not just collated in one article, but summarized and integrated with each other as well.
One criticism is that many students and residents seemingly use nothing but UpToDate (for Internal Medicine, at least). Of course, that’s not a criticism of UpToDate so much as it is a criticism of the study habits of medical trainees. But, it wouldn’t even be a criticism of them if UpToDate did a better job of incorporating and building upon the physiology and pathophysiology that underlies Internal Medicine. That is one area where UpToDate is not at all very good (nor should it be, I suppose - that’s not its focus. Still, the reality is that UpToDate is what a LOT of people are now using for their Internal Medicine education. Wouldn’t it be nice, then, if it also was physiology-based).
I guess I should also point out that for trainees, especially the junior ones, UpToDate is not the place to go to learn differential diagnoses.
Thanks to both of you! That’s basically what I’ve found. If I want a good explanation of the pathophysiology I look elsewhere–usually to the hospital library’s textbook collection–but I do like it for, uh, up-to-date treatment information and a reminder of just how diseases tend to present.
I also agree that it doesn’t do well for differentials at all. I never look at it unless I’ve already decided what something is and want to know how to treat it.
Well, this thread explains something that has bothered me since roughly 1972, when a classmate died a few days after his leg was broken during a wrestling match. At the time, all that us teenagers were told was some garbled story about bone fragments traveling to his heart. This clears up what happened.
The Great Gatsby?
This is also, incidentally, why bone marrow is delicious. I have a friend who uses it in soups, stews, burgers - everything she can, really. (Beef marrow, I should say - not human).
My brother just tried it and has fallen in love. I’m bothered by the idea sheerly out of lack of familiarity.
Marrow = meat butter!!
Veal Osso Bucco with a marrow spoon at the side of the plate, such heaven!
Nah. It was set in a prep school.
Was it that House episode maybe?
I know 3 people who died of cardiac arrest after breaking a femur. 2 of them in less than 1 hour and 1 of them within a week. Not sure of the exact cause of cardiac arrest but it was following the femur break.