Emergency medicine journal : EMJ
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We sought to determine (1) how often and why emergency medicine resident physicians perform core physical exams in patients with minor peripheral chief complaints (MCCs); and (2) the clinical impact this practice. ⋯ Because they want to screen an underserved population, establish rapport, and meet what they believe is a standard of care, most emergency medicine residents performed core exams on patients with MCCs. Abnormal core physical exam findings are unusual and rarely lead to further testing or change in management.