Book excerpt: The first 72 hours following assessment and admission to the emergency department are crucial to a patient's care. As the medical practitioner on duty, you need good diagnostic skills and the ability to formulate a quick, safe and appropriate management plan. Making Sense of Acute Medicine is here to help. This book is the perfect introduction to accurate diagnosis for medical students, newly qualified doctors and anyone intimately involved with the delivery of acute medical care. By focusing on the decision-making process in relation to common clinical presentations, Making Sense of Acute Medicine will assist you to: take an accurate history and examine the patient with a focused approach make appropriate investigations requests formulate suitable management plans