In medicine, diagnosis or diagnostics is the process of identifying a medical condition or disease by its signs, symptoms, and from the results of various diagnostic procedures. The conclusion reached through this process is called a diagnosis. The term diagnostic criteria
designates the combination of symptoms which allows the doctor to ascertain the diagnosis of
the respective disease.Typically, someone with abnormal symptoms will consult a physician,
who will then obtain a history of the patient's illness and examine him for signs of disease. The
physician will formulate a hypothesis of likely diagnoses and in many cases will obtain further
testing to confirm or clarify the diagnosis before providing treatment.Medical tests commonly
performed are measuring blood pressure, checking the pulse rate, listening to the heart with a stethoscope, urine tests, fecal tests, saliva tests, blood tests, medical imaging, electrocardiogram, hydrogen breath test and occasionally biopsy.The word diagnosis is derived from the Greek words dia which means by,and gnosis which means knowledge. The verb is diagnose and a person diagnosing could be considered a diagnostician.
Diagnosis Details
Diagnosis
In general, diagnosis plural diagnoses has two distinct dictionary definitions. The first
definition is the recognition of a disease or condition by its outward signs and symptoms,while
the second definition is the analysis of the underlying physiological biochemical causes of a
disease or condition. The first definition was preeminent before scientific thought changed to
reflect a better understanding of diseases and their causes. Later, as causalities were defined through scientific method, the second definition became more noteworthy.Diagnosis covers a broad spectrum, or spectra, of testing in some form of analysis; collective reasoning using such tests is called the method of diagnostics, leading then to the results of those tests by ideal ethics would then be considered a diagnosis, but not necessarily the correct one.
Diagnosis Medical Practice
A physician's job is to know the human body and its functions in terms of normality
homeostasis. The four cornerstones of diagnostic medicine, each essential for understanding
homeostasis, are: anatomy the structure of the human body, physiology how the body works,
pathology what can go wrong with the anatomy and physiology and psychology thought and
behavior. Once the doctor knows what is normal and can measure the patient's current
condition against those norms, she or he can then determine the patient's particular departure from homeostasis and the degree of departure. This is called the diagnosis. Once a diagnosis has been reached, the doctor is able to propose a management plan, which will include treatment as well as plans for follow-up. From this point on, in addition to treating the patient's condition, the doctor educates the patient about the causes, progression, outcomes, and possible treatments of his ailments, as well as providing advice for maintaining health.It should be noted however, that medical diagnosis in psychology or psychiatry is problematic. Apart from the fact that there are differing theoretical views toward mental conditions and that there are few "lab" tests available for various major disorders clinical depression, a
causal analysis with respect to symptomatology and disorder/disease is not always possible. As a result, most if not all mental conditions, function as both symptoms as well as disorders. There are often functional descriptions provided for psychological disorders and these are vulnerable to circular reasoning due to the etiological fuzziness inherent of these diagnostic
categories.
Diagnostic Procedure
Diagnosis is a fluid process in which the physician responds to information garnered from the patient and others, from a physical examination of the patient, and from medical tests performed upon the patient.The doctor should consider the patient in his 'well' context rather than simply as a walking medical condition. This entails assessing the socio-political context of
the patient family, work, stress, beliefs, in addition to the patient's physical body, as this often offers vital clues to the patient's condition and its management.The process of diagnosis begins when the patient consults the doctor and presents a set of complaints the symptoms. If the patient is unconscious, this condition is the de facto complaint. The doctor then obtains further information from the patient himself and from those who
know him, if present about the patient's symptoms, his previous state of health, living conditions, and so forth.Rather than consider the myriad diseases that could afflict the patient, the physician narrows down the possibilities to the illnesses likely to account for the apparent symptoms, making a list of only those conditions that could account for what is wrong with the
patient. These are generally ranked in order of probability.The doctor then conducts a physical examination of the patient, studies the patient's medical record, and asks further questions as he goes, in an effort to rule out as many of the potential conditions as possible. When the list is narrowed down to a single condition, this is called the differential diagnosis,
and provides the basis for a hypothesis of what is ailing the patient.Unless the physician is
certain of the condition present, further medical tests are performed or scheduled (such as
medical imaging), in part to confirm or disprove the diagnosis but also to document the patient's status to keep the patient's medical history up to date. Consultations with other physicians and specialists in the field may be sought. If unexpected findings are made during this process, the initial hypothesis may be ruled out and the physician must then consider other
hypotheses.
Educational Requirements
Educational Requirements
Despite all of these complexities, most patient consultations are relatively brief, because many
diseases are obvious, or the physician's experience may enable him to recognize the condition
quickly. Another factor is that the decision trees used for most diagnostic hypothesis testing are relatively short.Once the physician has completed the diagnosis, he explains the prognosis to the patient and proposes a treatment plan which includes therapy and follow-up further consultations and tests to monitor the condition and the progress of the treatment, if needed, usually according to the guideline provided by the medical field on the treatment of the particular illness.treatment itself may indicate a need for review of the diagnosis if there is a failure to respond to treatments that would normally work.In most four year degree programs the student attends classroom-based courses for 3 years and clinical-based rotations for 1 year. In clinical rotations, the student experiences a hands-on approach to learning while going
through the different disciplines of the laboratory. Under the supervision of laboratory supervisors and/or senior technologists the student actually performs diagnostic testing in a functioning laboratory. These laboratories could be in medical centers, rural hospitals, or reference laboratories. The student usually works 40 hours a week for 20 to 26 weeks, which
allows the experience of working in medical technology as a full time job. The downside is that the student is not compensated as a full-time employee, as is true with most college intern programs. A medical technologist typically earns a bachelor's degree with a major in Medical
Technology Clinical Laboratory Science or a four-year degree in a life science, in which case certification from an accredited training program is also required.
Medical Techniques
In a prehospital setting, also called the "field", emergency medical technicians, paramedics, specialized nurses, and less trained providers known as 'first responders', use stabilization techniques to improve the chances of a trauma patient surviving the ambulance trip to the hospital. Professionals begin performing a primary survey, consisting of assessment of airway,
breathing, and circulation (called the "ABC's"). The purpose of the primary survey is to
identify life-threatening problems. Ensuring that the injured person is not disabled by
unnecessary movement of the spine is paramount, so the neck and back are secured before
moving the patient. Unless the victim is in imminent danger of death, first responders will
usually "load and go" transporting the victim immediately to the nearest appropriate
trauma-equipped hospital.Upon completion of the primary survey, the secondary survey is
begun. This may occur during transport or upon arrival at the hospital. The secondary survey
consists of a systematic assessment of the abdominal, pelvic and thoracic viscera, complete
inspection of the body surface to find all injuries, and neurological exam. The purpose of the
secondary survey is to identify all injuries so that they may be treated. A missed injury is one
which is not found during the initial assessment (for example, as a patient is brought into a
hospital's Emergency Department), but rather manifests itself at a later point in time,
sometimes with baleful consequences (i.e., a liver laceration is sometimes missed and a patient
sent home, who will abruptly go into shock shortly thereafter.
Medical Treatment
Medical Treatment
The appropriate first aid for a trauma patient is to immediately call for help using the emergency medical service, then treat for shock. Do not move the victim unless failure to do so would create a greater risk to their life (i.e. hazardous chemicals or a spreading fire). Also see wilderness first aid if immediate emergency help is unavailable.In case of traumatic accidents, health care providers use the ABC of life (airway, breathing and circulation) as their primary survey in identifying and assessing the condition of the patient. Airway is considered as the most important factor to be assessed then the breathing and circulation. From this technique the appropriate intervention will be identified immediately and prioritization of action can be done according to the most important aspect to be assessed.Treatment of physical trauma is described here and in First aid. For medical guidelines, see Guideline medical.Physical trauma refers to a physical injury. A trauma patient is someone who has suffered serious and life-threatening physical injury potentially resulting in secondary complications such as shock, respiratory failure and death.The American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Medicine (AOBEM) provides board certification to osteopathic (D.O.) emergency physicians who have successfully completed an AOA-approved residency in emergency medicine, completed an additional two years of practice, passed a written exam, and passed an oral exam. Like ABEM, the AOBEM at one time offered certification eligibility via a practice track, requiring training in another specialty, practicing emergency medicine, and then passing the AOBEM certification exam.The Board of Certification in Emergency Medicine (BCEM) provides board certification to both allopathic and osteopathic physicians that have completed an emergency medicine or primary care residency and performed 5 years of emergency medicine practice, followed by a written and oral examination process.
