Preparing for Session 1

Specific learning objectives

Students should:

1. Demonstrate the skills of identifying common presentations with abdominal pain
2. List important differential diagnosis on a patient who is suffering with epigastric / right hypochondriac pain
3. Identify the aetiology of pancreatitis and the progress of the disease by taking a focused history
4. Gauge current health status of patient by performing a focused but thorough examination
5. Identify imaging modalities and further investigations to rule out differential diagnoses
6. Demonstrate the basic principles of management of acute pancreatitis. 

Skills mastered

Students should:

1. Demonstrate the skills of an epigastric pain history
2. Demonstrate the skills of abdominal examination. 

Guiding questions

To guide your preparation for this session, please ensure you have considered the following questions:

1. What are pathologies that can cause epigastric/right hypochondrial pain?
2. How do you clinically differentiate surgical emergencies related to acute severe epigastric pain?
3. How would you investigate a suspected acute surgical emergency?

1.