• Helen F Brown and Lynn Kelso.
• Helen F. Brown is Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Emergency Department, Anne Arundel Medical Center, Annapolis, MD 21401 (helen0751@aol.com). Lynn Kelso is Assistant Professor, Department of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, University of Kentucky College of Nursing, Lexington.
• AACN Adv Crit Care. 2014 Jul 1; 25 (3): 266-78.

AbstractAcute abdominal pain represents the cardinal symptom of a large number of intra-abdominal pathologies. Because of multiple organ systems, varied pathology from life threatening to benign, and differences in presentation related to sex and age, identifying a final diagnosis is a challenge. The clinician's goal for patients with acute abdominal pain is to rapidly identify whether the underlying cause requires an urgent or immediate surgical intervention. By developing a systematic approach to evaluating patients with abdominal pain, clinicians can generate a differential diagnosis to ensure appropriate treatment and improved patient outcomes. The purpose of this article is to provide clinicians with a framework for evaluating the complaint of acute abdominal pain and recognizing patients who require expedited evaluation.

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