Diagnostic reasoning relies on cognitive heuristics to recognise patterns of symptoms and signs in order to arrive at a diagnosis. These rules of thumb allow us to rapidly diagnose common conditions that present in typical ways. However, they may lead us astray when common conditions present atypically or when a patient has a rare condition or multiple conditions causing their constellation of symptoms, signs, and test results, rather than having a single diagnosis to explain them all. This article describes strategies to help counteract diagnostic pitfalls, to expand diagnostic possibilities and to make diagnostic progress with complex, multielement cases.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Aaron L Berkowitz (2024) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: