Database Digest

First Consult

For the latest in evidence-based clinical care information, go to FIRSTConsult from the Evidence-Based Medicine section of E-Databases on the Library website. FIRSTConsult is a valuable diagnostic decision-making tool for medical students, residents, and practitioners, providing clinical information on conditions and diseases, procedures, and patient education resources. Evidence for information on diagnosis, treatment, and treatment outcomes is provided from National Guideline Clearinghouse, Cochrane Systematic Reviews, and Clinical Evidence – three critically evaluated, very highly regarded sources. It is updated weekly.

For clinical decision-making, use the Differential Diagnosis feature. Searchable by symptom, diagnosis options are ranked from most common to least common and by age group, with emergent conditions prominently displayed in red. Click on the diagnosis name for clinical benchmarks, and link to expanded information in the Medical Condition file or MDConsult.

Medical Condition files are searchable by your patient’s condition. Files provide comprehensive information for diseases and conditions and include signs/symptoms, investigative tests, therapeutic options, prognosis, prevention guides, patient information, and evidence summaries. Clinical Pearls are an added feature to the evidence-based information, providing wisdom based on the clinical experience and judgment from practitioners on the FIRSTConsult Editorial Board.

Procedure Files feature 34 most common surgical and diagnostic procedures and provide systematic guidance for when and how to perform them. Files include indications, contraindications, step-by-step instructions, video clips and possible complications of specific procedures.

Patient Education files provide printable, easy-to-read information for over 300 medical conditions. Available in English and Spanish, the handouts can be customized with practitioner contact information and special instructions.