3 Developing a Differential Diagnosis Free Online FlashCards

What is a differential diagnosis?

A prioritized set of plausible explanations for a patient’s findings, assessed by how well each fits and how harmful it would be to miss.

What is a problem representation?

A concise summary of the patient’s presentation that preserves the features most useful for distinguishing possible causes.

What information does an illness script connect?

Illness scripts are organized knowledge linking predisposing factors, disease mechanisms, expected findings, and course.

What mechanisms can cause breathlessness?

Consider impaired airflow, infection or inflammation, fluid in the lungs, reduced blood flow through the lungs, and impaired oxygen-carrying capacity.

Why should likelihood and consequence be considered separately?

Probability estimates how likely a condition is; consequence concerns the harm of missing or delaying it. A less likely but dangerous condition may still need prompt exclusion.

How can you find evidence that distinguishes leading diagnoses?

Ask what else would be expected if the diagnosis were true, then seek evidence that would raise or lower its probability.

Why may one absent symptom or normal test not rule out a diagnosis?

No single absent symptom or normal test necessarily excludes a diagnosis; interpret findings alongside the patient’s overall risk and the limits of each finding.

How should a differential change as new evidence arrives?

Promote explanations that account for new evidence, lower those that fit poorly, and add alternatives if the presentation changes.

What details help define a patient’s main concern?

Characterize onset, time course, location, quality, severity, associated symptoms, relevant exposures, medical history, medications, and objective findings.

What is a risk of relying on pattern recognition alone?

A familiar pattern can cause premature closure if alternatives are not checked.

What belongs in the “most likely” category?

The best overall fit with the available evidence.

What makes a diagnosis “must-not-miss”?

Time-sensitive or high-harm possibilities, even when they are less likely.