What Is Differential Diagnosis Process

How will my provider make a differential diagnosis.

What is differential diagnosis process. The working diagnosis may be either a list of potential diagnoses a differential diagnosis or a single potential diagnosis. It s based off of the facts obtained from your symptoms medical history basic laboratory. This phase of the diagnostic process is arguably the most critical because errors that occur during the earlier steps history exam symptom evaluation are compounded and result in a differential diagnosis that is either too narrow or simply off target. This process can be divided into six steps.

Typically clinicians will consider more than one diagnostic hypothesis or possibility as an explanation of the patient s symptoms and will refine this list as further information is obtained in the diagnostic process. Differential diagnostic procedures are used by physicians to diagnose the specific disease in a patient or at least to eliminate any imminently life threatening conditions. Then one by one using those same clues they will begin to narrow down the list by finding clues that don t fit. Most differential diagnoses include a physical exam and a health history.

Differential diagnosis that is the creation of a list of suspected diseases is important as it guides us in looking for these diseases in a patient during diagnosis. It is important to include uncommon as well as common. Differential diagnosis generating a differential diagnosis that is developing a list of the possible conditions that might produce a patient s symptoms and signs is an important part of clinical reasoning. Depending on items like medical history symptoms test results own medical knowledge and or input from colleagues doctors will usually come up with a handful of possible diagnoses for a particular condition.

It enables appropriate testing to rule out possibilities and confirm a final diagnosis. A differential diagnosis is used to help diagnose physical or mental health disorders that cause similar symptoms. Differential diagnosis is the process of determining a specific diagnosis by systematically comparing similar diagnoses. That process of elimination is called differential diagnosis ultimately they will be left with one diagnosis and that s the one they give you.

A differential diagnosis is a list of possible conditions or diseases that could be causing your symptoms. Differential diagnosis ensures that doctors consider all possibilities before they make a diagnosis for a patient s illness. In medicine a differential diagnosis is the distinguishing of a particular disease or condition from others that present similar clinical features.