Constipation OSCE: Functional vs Organic (What to Look For First)

Constipation is a common chief complaint you’ll encounter in primary care and clinic settings — but the underlying causes range from functional disorders to medication effects and more serious pathology. In this video from the ScrubNotes Chief Complaint Series, you’ll learn how to think like a clinician when evaluating constipation using a clear, step-by-step framework that helps you efficiently build and refine your differential diagnosis. We walk through a real clinical case and cover: • How to approach constipation systematically (acute vs chronic) • The Pre-Three framework for building a high-yield differential • Key history questions that help identify dietary, medication-related, and systemic causes • How to recognize red flags and prioritize concerning diagnoses • When to suspect functional constipation, medication-induced constipation, hypothyroidism, or obstruction This video is designed for: Medical students PA students NP students Residents Anyone learning clinical reasoning and gastrointestinal medicine If you're preparing for OSCEs, clinical rotations, COMLEX, USMLE, or shelf exams, mastering the constipation approach will help you organize your differential and identify when further workup is needed. 📚 Recommended Clinical Skills Resources 📚 OSCE Pocket Book (Affiliate link) 15% off with code: Kate23 https://medschoolbro.com/products/osc... 📚 Dains' Clinical Skills / Assessment Book https://amzn.to/4rqqNp4 🩺 Chief Complaint Series Learn to approach real patient complaints the way clinicians do — by building a focused differential diagnosis and refining it with targeted history and exam findings. ➡️ OSCE Prep Playlist:    / playlistlist=plx4tuofm9iow55lafvo4n0ljnlzd...   ➡️ Chief Complaint Playlist:    • Chief Complaint Framework (Step-by-Step Cl...   #Constipation #ClinicalReasoning #MedicalStudents #USMLE #OSCE #Gastroenterology #PrimaryCare #ScrubNotes