TY - JOUR T1 - Time to revive the GP-focused clinical examination JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 360 LP - 360 DO - 10.3399/bjgp17X691949 VL - 67 IS - 661 AU - Martin Block AU - Graham Easton Y1 - 2017/08/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/67/661/360.abstract N2 - As GPs we are rightly proud of our focused history-taking and consultation skills, but how many of us would say the same for our focused examination skills? It is time to claim the focused clinical examination as a specialist GP skill we can be proud of, for us and for our patients. GPs will benefit as we start to understand what is really worth doing and what isn’t, in the GP setting. We will begin to feel more confident in what we do (and what we don’t do) in practice; perhaps we can even start teaching and assessing the focused exam properly, something too often glossed over in GP training. Patients will win because appropriate examinations can cut errors and avoid diagnostic delays,1 reduce unnecessary and potentially harmful tests,2 and provide a reassuring connection with their doctor.3 A well-targeted physical examination … ER -