3 - differential diagnosis

what is a differential diagnosis?

why should clinicians not just go with their first guess?

why not just make a list of all possibilites?

what are the 3 things to consider when making a DDx?

when do you start considering conditions for your DDx?

An intern proposes a diagnosis for one of their patients because "the symptoms all fit".  What might the intern have failed to consider that would most help create a strong list of differentials?

Which conditions are most likely, which are most serious, and which are most amenable to treatment

How should one proceed from the beginning of the encounter through the development of a differential diagnosis?

Obtain some information from the patient; create a problem representation and patient illness script; compare the patient illness script to a number of disease illness scripts

What is the main value of differential diagnosis?

It helps to avoid excessive certainty about an initial hypothesis

What is the purpose of gathering some information about the patient's chief concern before considering a differential diagnosis?

More effective comparison with your disease illness scripts