What is the "Algorithms for Emergency Medicine, 1st Edition"?
Algorithms for Emergency Medicine (1st Edition, 2023) by Mark Harrison and Ala Mohammed is a clinical reference published by Oxford University Press. It delivers step-by-step decision algorithms and concise topic summaries across 10 emergency medicine sections—designed for emergency clinicians, new doctors, residents, and emergency nurse practitioners who need fast, reliable guidance at the bedside.
Algorithms for Emergency Medicine, 1st Edition: A Must-Have Reference for Every Emergency Clinician
There are moments in the emergency department when time is everything. A patient collapses in triage, an unfamiliar arrhythmia appears on the monitor, a child arrives in septic shock—and a clinician needs to act decisively without hesitation. Algorithms for Emergency Medicine by Mark Harrison and Ala Mohammed was written precisely for those moments.
First published in 2023 by Oxford University Press, this compact reference distils complex clinical decision-making into clear, evidence-based algorithms and focused topic summaries.
Whether you are a new intern stepping into your first Emergency Department rotation or a seasoned practitioner refreshing your knowledge before a night shift, this book functions as a straight-to-the-point companion that cuts through the noise and gets you to the right management pathway quickly.
This review covers everything you need to know about the book—its content, structure, clinical value, key features, limitations, and who benefits most from having it within arm's reach.
Book Overview
|
Detail |
Information |
|
Full
Title |
Algorithms for Emergency Medicine |
|
Edition |
First Edition |
|
Editors |
Mark Harrison; Ala Mohammed |
|
Publisher |
Oxford University Press |
|
Year
Published |
2023 |
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Total
Pages |
273 |
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Medical
Specialty |
Emergency Medicine |
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Intended
Audience |
Emergency Nurse Practitioners, New
Doctors, Trainees, Residents, EM Consultants |
Mark Harrison is a consultant in emergency medicine at Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital, UK. Ala Mohammed is a consultant in emergency medicine at Sunderland Royal Hospital, UK. Both editors bring frontline clinical authority to the text, and they are joined by a team of contributing consultants from UK emergency and trauma centres.
What This Book Covers
Algorithms for Emergency Medicine spans the full breadth of emergency clinical practice across ten structured sections containing over 80 individual topics. Each topic follows the same two-part format: an information section providing essential clinical knowledge, key tips, and salient points, followed by a visual algorithm that guides the clinician step-by-step through the management pathway.
The ten sections address the following areas:
Section 1 – Practical Procedures covers 22 hands-on emergency skills—from basic life support and rapid sequence induction (RSI) to intercostal drain insertion (both Seldinger and open techniques), lumbar puncture, central and intraosseous venous access, DC cardioversion, procedural sedation, abdominal paracentesis, knee aspiration, and fracture manipulation. Each procedure includes clear indications, contraindications, technique notes, and complication awareness.
Section 2 – Airway and Breathing addresses high-acuity respiratory emergencies, including anaphylaxis, apnea and stridor, pneumothorax, hemothorax, acute asthma and COPD exacerbations, pulmonary embolism, acute heart failure, unexplained cyanosis, and new-onset cough.
Section 3 – Cardiovascular takes the clinician through cardiorespiratory arrest using both Adult Life Support (ALS) and Advanced Pediatric Life Support (APLS) frameworks, along with chest pain, palpitations, tachyarrhythmias, and bradyarrhythmias.
Section 4 – Abdomen covers acute abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, dehydration in children, diarrhea, dysuria, ectopic pregnancy, hematemesis and melena, jaundice, and nausea and vomiting—conditions that collectively make up a substantial portion of everyday emergency presentations.
Section 5 – Neurological is particularly detailed, covering the unconscious patient, aggressive or disturbed behaviour, alcohol and substance abuse, acute confusion and delirium, dizziness and vertigo, fits and seizures, headache (both primary and secondary), syncope and pre-syncope, weakness and paralysis, stroke, and subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Section 6 – Trauma walks the clinician from primary and secondary survey through head injury, major chest trauma, abdominal trauma, spinal injuries, maxillofacial trauma, burns, traumatic limb and joint injuries, wound assessment, and detailed musculoskeletal examination algorithms for the shoulder, elbow, hand, hip, knee, and ankle.
Section 7 – Environmental Emergencies addresses heat stroke, heat exhaustion, drug-related hyperthermias (including malignant hyperthermia, neuroleptic malignant syndrome, and serotonin syndrome), hypothermia, frostbite, electrical burns, electrocution, and drowning.
Section 8 – Other Medical handles a diverse range of high-acuity and common presentations: sepsis, shock, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state (HHS), sickle cell crisis, anemia, purpura and bruising in children, leukemia and lymphoma in children, bruising and spontaneous bleeding, fever, oliguria, oncology emergencies, poisoning and self-harm, rashes, acute red eye, acute visual loss, hyperkalemia, rhabdomyolysis, and high INR.
Section 9 – Other Surgical rounds out the surgical picture with acute back pain, epistaxis, falls, non-traumatic limb pain and swelling, acute neck pain, otalgia, sore throat, scrotal pain, acute urinary retention, and vaginal bleeding.
Section 10 – Miscellaneous closes the book with three critically important topics in modern emergency medicine: suicidal ideation, needlestick injury, and pain management.
Key Features
- Dual-format topic structure: every topic combines a focused information section with a clear visual algorithm, making it easy to absorb knowledge and then follow the decision pathway in practice
- Visual decision flowcharts: branching algorithms with Yes/No decision points guide the clinician from initial assessment through to definitive management, referral, or safe discharge
- Coverage aligned with the RCEM curriculum: topics and content are based on the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) curriculum, ensuring relevance for trainees working toward EM specialization in the UK
- Paediatric content integrated throughout: paediatric-specific algorithms (APLS, dehydration in children, leukaemia/lymphoma in children, purpura in children) are embedded naturally rather than siloed into a separate chapter
- Evidence-based references: each topic ends with curated further reading, linking to NICE guidelines, SIGN guidelines, RCEM learning resources, and peer-reviewed journal articles
- Comprehensive abbreviations list: a full reference list of over 100 medical abbreviations appears at the front of the book, reducing ambiguity when reading algorithms quickly under pressure
- Comprehensive index: a detailed index facilitates rapid look-up of specific conditions during time-critical situations
- Compact and portable format: at 273 pages, the book is designed to be practical, consultable, and accessible in a clinical environment rather than read cover-to-cover at a desk
Who Should Read This Book
Emergency medicine trainees and residents will find this book especially valuable. It is explicitly built around the RCEM curriculum and provides structured management pathways that match how emergency cases are assessed and worked up in UK emergency departments. For trainees preparing for MRCEM or FRCEM examinations, the systematic approach to each condition reinforces structured thinking.
New doctors and foundation year doctors starting their first placement in the Emergency Department can use this book as a safety net. The algorithms reduce the cognitive load of an unfamiliar and fast-paced environment, providing a reliable decision-support framework during those first challenging months.
Emergency Nurse Practitioners (ENPs) are explicitly mentioned as a target audience in the preface. The practical procedure, algorithms, and condition management pathways are highly relevant to advanced nurse practice in emergency settings.
Paramedics and Pre-Hospital Clinicians will find the procedural sections and acute condition algorithms applicable to advanced pre-hospital care, though the book is primarily oriented toward in-hospital emergency practice.
Medical Students on Emergency Medicine Attachments can use the book to understand how emergency presentations are worked up in practice—a bridge between theoretical knowledge and real clinical decision-making.
Experienced emergency clinicians can use this as a quick-reference refresher tool, particularly for less frequently encountered conditions such as drug-related hyperthermias, environmental emergencies, or specific musculoskeletal examination algorithms.
Why This Book Is Useful
Clinical Relevance at the Bedside
The design philosophy of this book is unapologetically practical. As the editors state in the preface, it is designed to be "straight to the point" to help the busy emergency clinician respond and deliver appropriate care in a timely fashion. This is not a textbook to read for deep mechanistic understanding; it is a clinical tool to use when a patient is in front of you.
Evidence-Based Content
The algorithms and management recommendations throughout the book are grounded in established guidelines—specifically referencing NICE, SIGN, RCEM, British Thoracic Society (BTS), Resuscitation Council, and Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) frameworks. The further reading sections at the end of each topic direct readers toward the most authoritative primary sources for deeper study.
Practical Application
Each practical procedure chapter includes not just the technique but the clinical context—indications, contraindications, complications, and tips that reflect real-world practice. For example, the airway protection chapter includes a practical table comparing all available airway optimization methods, noting clinical scenarios where one approach is preferred over another.
Structured Thinking for Examinations
For trainees sitting emergency medicine examinations, the systematic, algorithm-based approach to each clinical presentation maps closely to the structured assessment and management approach expected in OSCE-style assessments and written cases.
Learning Efficiency
The dual information-plus-algorithm format means clinicians can read the background knowledge section when time allows and then rely on the algorithm when urgency demands speed. The book supports both reflective learning and in-the-moment decision support.
Table of Contents Overview
The book is organized into the following ten sections:
Section 1: Practical Procedures — Basic life support; airway protection; rapid sequence induction; cricothyroidotomy; needle thoracocentesis; pleural aspiration; intercostal drain (Seldinger and open); arterial blood gas sampling; peripheral, central, and intraosseous venous access; urinary catheterization; nasogastric tube insertion; arterial cannulation; lumbar puncture; abdominal paracentesis; DC cardioversion; temporary external pacing; knee aspiration; fracture manipulation; procedural sedation
Section 2: Airway and Breathing — Anaphylaxis; apnoea, stridor, and airway obstruction; pneumothorax/haemothorax; asthma and COPD; pulmonary embolism; acute heart failure; cough; cyanosis
Section 3: Cardiovascular — Cardiorespiratory arrest (ALS and APLS); chest pain; palpitations; tachyarrhythmias; bradyarrhythmias
Section 4: Abdominal—Acute abdominal pain; rectal bleeding; dehydration in children; diarrhoea; dysuria; ectopic pregnancy; haematemesis and melena; jaundice; nausea and vomiting
Section 5: Neurological — Unconscious patient; aggressive/disturbed behaviour; alcohol and substance abuse; acute confusion/delirium; dizziness and vertigo; fits/seizures; headache; syncope and pre-syncope; weakness and paralysis; stroke; subarachnoid haemorrhage
Section 6: Trauma — Primary and secondary survey; head injury; chest, abdominal, spinal, maxillofacial, and burns trauma; traumatic limb and joint injuries; wound assessment; shoulder, elbow, hand, hip, knee, and ankle examination
Section 7: Environmental Emergencies — Heat stroke and heat exhaustion; drug-related hyperthermias; hypothermia and frostbite; electrical burns/electrocution; drowning
Section 8: Other Medical—Sepsis, shock, DKA, HHS, sickle cell crisis, anemia, pediatric hematological presentations, spontaneous bleeding, fever, oliguria, oncology emergencies, poisoning/self-harm, rashes, acute red and visual eye presentations, hyperkalemia, rhabdomyolysis, high INR
Section 9: Other Surgical—Back pain, epistaxis, falls, non-traumatic limb pain, neck pain, otalgia, sore throat, scrotal pain, urinary retention, per-vaginal bleeding
Section 10: Miscellaneous — Suicidal ideation; needlestick injury; pain management
Strengths of the Book
Breadth within a compact format. Covering over 80 clinical topics in fewer than 300 pages is a genuine achievement. The editors have made disciplined decisions about what to include and how much depth to provide at each point, resulting in a comprehensive book without being bloated.
Consistency of structure. Every single topic follows the same format: clinical information, then algorithm. This consistency means the reader always knows what to expect and can navigate the book instinctively under time pressure.
Genuine clinical utility. This is not a book written for publication metrics—it reads as though written by clinicians, for clinicians, with real emergency department scenarios in mind. The procedural sections in particular reflect practical wisdom that cannot always be found in standard textbooks.
Integration of pediatric emergencies. Rather than treating pediatric content as an afterthought, the book weaves pediatric algorithms—including APLS, pediatric dehydration, and hematological emergencies in children—naturally throughout the relevant sections.
Alignment with UK curriculum and guidelines. For clinicians training or practicing within the UK emergency medicine system, the alignment with RCEM, NICE, SIGN, and Resuscitation Council standards is a major practical strength.
Limitations
UK-centric context. The book is heavily oriented toward UK emergency medicine practice. Drug names, referral pathways, scoring systems (such as Centor criteria for sore throat), and guideline references are predominantly UK-based, which may reduce immediate practical applicability for clinicians in other healthcare systems.
Limited pathophysiology. The information sections are intentionally concise. Readers looking for detailed mechanisms of disease, pharmacology depth, or extensive differential diagnosis lists will need to supplement with a more comprehensive EM textbook, such as Tintinalli's or Rosen's.
No imaging or ECG illustrations. Given the importance of electrocardiographic interpretation and point-of-care imaging in emergency medicine, the absence of illustrative images beyond the algorithm flowcharts represents a limitation for visual learners.
First edition. As a first edition, occasional inconsistencies in depth across topics and areas for refinement are to be expected. Future editions may address these as the book matures.
Comparison With Similar Books
Compared to Tintinalli's Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide, this book occupies a very different niche—it is a quick-reference clinical tool rather than an encyclopaedic resource. Where Tintinalli provides exhaustive detail, Harrison and Mohammed provide decisive direction.
Compared to the Oxford Handbook of Emergency Medicine, this book is more algorithm-focused and visually oriented. The Oxford Handbook offers more narrative depth per topic, while Algorithms for Emergency Medicine prioritizes immediate clinical decision support through its flowchart format.
Compared to pocket guides like Tarascon Emergency Medicine Pocketbook, this book is slightly more comprehensive and structured, offering the information-plus-algorithm dual format rather than purely reference tables.
For clinicians who want a focused, algorithm-based companion to a more detailed reference text, Algorithms for Emergency Medicine sits comfortably in the middle of the spectrum—more clinically actionable than a textbook, more content-rich than a pocket card.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "Algorithms for Emergency Medicine" about? Algorithms for Emergency Medicine is a clinical reference book published by Oxford University Press in 2023. It covers over 80 emergency medicine topics across 10 clinical sections, providing concise information summaries and visual step-by-step management algorithms designed to support emergency clinicians at the bedside.
Who are the editors of Algorithms for Emergency Medicine? The book is edited by Mark Harrison, consultant in emergency medicine at Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital, UK, and Ala Mohammed, consultant in emergency medicine at Sunderland Royal Hospital, UK. Several other UK emergency medicine consultants contributed individual chapters.
Is this book suitable for medical students? Yes. Medical students on emergency medicine placements will find the book useful for understanding how acute presentations are managed in practice. It bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and clinical decision-making effectively.
Do algorithms for emergency medicine cover pediatric emergencies? Yes. Pediatric content is integrated throughout the book, including an APLS cardiorespiratory arrest algorithm, dehydration in children, purpura and bruising in children, and leukemia/lymphoma presentations in children. Pediatric topics are incorporated within the relevant clinical sections rather than isolated to a separate chapter.
Is this book helpful for the MRCEM or FRCEM exam preparation? Yes. The book is explicitly aligned with the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) curriculum. Its systematic, structured approach to clinical presentations supports the kind of organized thinking required for MRCEM and FRCEM assessments.
How many sections and topics does the book contain? The book contains 10 sections and covers over 80 individual clinical topics, ranging from practical procedures like rapid sequence induction and lumbar puncture to medical emergencies such as DKA, sepsis, stroke, and subarachnoid hemorrhage.
How does the book format each topic? Each topic is divided into two parts: an information section containing essential clinical knowledge, key tips, and salient clinical points, followed by a visual decision algorithm that guides the clinician through a step-by-step management pathway using branching yes/no decision points.
Is the "algorithms for emergency medicine" based on evidence-based guidelines? Yes. The content and algorithms are grounded in NICE, SIGN, RCEM, Resuscitation Council, and other major UK clinical guidelines. Each topic ends with a further reading section directing readers to the primary guideline sources and peer-reviewed literature.
Conclusion
Algorithms for Emergency Medicine (1st Edition, 2023) delivers exactly what it promises: a fast, structured, evidence-based decision support tool for clinicians working in the emergency setting.
By combining concise clinical knowledge summaries with clear visual management algorithms across 10 sections and 80-plus topics, Mark Harrison and Ala Mohammed have produced a reference that earns its place in every emergency clinician's bag.
It is not a replacement for comprehensive emergency medicine textbooks, and it does not try to be. Instead, it offers something those books often struggle to deliver: immediate, structured clinical guidance for the moment a patient arrives and a decision needs to be made.
For new doctors entering the emergency department for the first time, this book reduces the anxiety of uncertainty. For emergency nurse practitioners managing complex presentations, it provides a structured framework for clinical decision-making.
For trainees working toward MRCEM or FRCEM certification, it reinforces the systematic approach that examiners look for. And for experienced clinicians, it serves as a reliable, quick reference that keeps current evidence within reach.
In a speciality defined by time pressure and clinical complexity, having Algorithms for emergency medicine to hand is a practical and sensible decision.
Algorithms for Emergency Medicine 1st Edition
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