Differential diagnosis: Difference between revisions
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The term '''differential diagnosis''' also refers to medical information specially organized to aid in diagnosis, particularly a list of the most common causes of a given symptom, annotated with advice on how to narrow down the list. | The term '''differential diagnosis''' also refers to medical information specially organized to aid in diagnosis, particularly a list of the most common causes of a given symptom, annotated with advice on how to narrow down the list. | ||
==Tactics== | |||
===Problem representation=== | |||
Problem representation, "usually as a one-sentence summary defining the specific case in abstract terms," may help clinical reasoning<ref name="pmid17124019">{{cite journal| author=Bowen JL| title=Educational strategies to promote clinical diagnostic reasoning. | journal=N Engl J Med | year= 2006 | volume= 355 | issue= 21 | pages= 2217-25 | pmid=17124019 | doi=10.1056/NEJMra054782 | pmc= | url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&tool=sumsearch.org/cite&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks&id=17124019 }} </ref><ref name="pmid1930535">{{cite journal| author=Bordage G, Lemieux M| title=Semantic structures and diagnostic thinking of experts and novices. | journal=Acad Med | year= 1991 | volume= 66 | issue= 9 Suppl | pages= S70-2 | pmid=1930535 | doi=10.1097/00001888-199109000-00045 | pmc= | url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&tool=sumsearch.org/cite&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks&id=1930535 }} </ref><ref name="pmid2261032">{{cite journal| author=Schmidt HG, Norman GR, Boshuizen HP| title=A cognitive perspective on medical expertise: theory and implication. | journal=Acad Med | year= 1990 | volume= 65 | issue= 10 | pages= 611-21 | pmid=2261032 | doi=10.1097/00001888-199010000-00001 | pmc= | url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/elink.fcgi?dbfrom=pubmed&tool=sumsearch.org/cite&retmode=ref&cmd=prlinks&id=2261032 }} </ref>. | |||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
Revision as of 00:09, 21 October 2019
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Cafer Zorkun, M.D., Ph.D. [2]
Overview
In medicine, differential diagnosis (sometimes abbreviated DDx or ΔΔ) is the systematic method physicians use to identify the disease causing a patient's symptoms.
Before a medical condition can be treated, it must be identified. In the process of listening to a patient's complaints, examining the patient, and taking the patient's personal, family and social history, the physician makes a mental list of the most likely causes. The doctor asks additional questions and performs tests to eliminate possibilities until he or she is satisfied that the single most likely cause has been identified.
Once a working diagnosis is reached, the physician prescribes a therapy. If the patient's condition does not improve, the diagnosis must be reassessed. The method of differential diagnosis was first suggested for use in the diagnosis of mental disorders by Emil Kraepelin. It is more systematic than the old-fashioned method of diagnosis by gestalt (impression).
The term differential diagnosis also refers to medical information specially organized to aid in diagnosis, particularly a list of the most common causes of a given symptom, annotated with advice on how to narrow down the list.
Tactics
Problem representation
Problem representation, "usually as a one-sentence summary defining the specific case in abstract terms," may help clinical reasoning[1][2][3].
See also
External Resources
- "differential diagnosis." Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary. Merriam-Webster, Inc. 12 Aug. 2007
- "differential diagnosis" The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary. Houghton Mifflin Company. 12 Aug. 2007
References
- ↑ Bowen JL (2006). "Educational strategies to promote clinical diagnostic reasoning". N Engl J Med. 355 (21): 2217–25. doi:10.1056/NEJMra054782. PMID 17124019.
- ↑ Bordage G, Lemieux M (1991). "Semantic structures and diagnostic thinking of experts and novices". Acad Med. 66 (9 Suppl): S70–2. doi:10.1097/00001888-199109000-00045. PMID 1930535.
- ↑ Schmidt HG, Norman GR, Boshuizen HP (1990). "A cognitive perspective on medical expertise: theory and implication". Acad Med. 65 (10): 611–21. doi:10.1097/00001888-199010000-00001. PMID 2261032.