What is diagnosis?
Diagnosis itself is a crucial skill and process used across various medical disciplines. It's the art and science of identifying a specific disease or condition based on a patient's history, symptoms, physical examination findings, and diagnostic tests.
What are the main features of diagnosis?
- Systematic Approach: Diagnosis follows a logical sequence, gathering information, analyzing data, and considering various possibilities before reaching a conclusion.
- Differential Diagnosis: This process involves identifying and evaluating multiple potential causes of a patient's symptoms, progressively narrowing down the most likely explanation.
- Integration of Evidence: Combining clinical findings with laboratory tests, imaging studies, and past medical history to establish a diagnosis.
- Clinical Reasoning Skills: Using critical thinking, logic, and knowledge of disease patterns to interpret data and arrive at an accurate diagnosis.
What are important sub-areas in diagnosis?
- Pathology: Examines tissues and body fluids under a microscope to diagnose diseases, infections, and cancers.
- Radiology:
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