Test 2 Flashcards
4 Strategies Used to Obtain a Diagnosis
- pattern recognition
- method of algorithm
- method of exhaustion
- hypothetico-deductive method
How does pattern recognition work? (3)
- you’ve seen this a million times before
- triggered by visual clues, auditory clues, odor, touch….
- common things occur commonly
Advantages to pattern recognition
- easy
- correct often (?)
Disadvantages to pattern recognition
- correct how often (?)
- need experience
Describing the method of algorithm
- progression of questions/ “tests” along pre-set pathways
- responses determine the next step
- diagnosis by flow chart
When might the method of algorithm be used?
- delegated diagnosis = para-medics, triage
- rare conditions
Disadvantages to the method of algorithms
- algorithms not available for many diseases
- not flexible if symptoms are not “typical”
Method of Exhaustion
Order all tests that might be relavent and interpret it all later
Is the method of exhaustion the “correct” way?
- not really (perhaps sometimes), as tests aren’t perfect
- may be for patient management (emergency) vs diagnosis
Hypothetico-deductive method
-interactive process of updating knowledge
Hypothetico-deductive method involves thinking through the situation. What is involved?
- early clues (history, observation, questions)
- short list of potential diagnosises or actions
- additional “tests”
- revised short list (subtract or add diagnoses to list)
Repeat until additional actions will not change w/ further tests results or defintion of the diagnosis
Where do the early hypotheses come from in hypothetico-deductive?
- experience = often pattern recognition
- knowledge learned
Disadvantage to hypothetico-deductive
correct diagnosis is not hypothesized, diagnosis will not be obtained
With experience and open-mindedness, __________ is the most efficient DIAGNOSTIC method
hypothetico-deductive
Exhaustion vs HT-D
Exhaustion
- any diagnosis is possible
- trying to “rule out” competing diagnoses (eliminate them from the list
HT-D
- several (hypothesized) diseases are possible
- trying to “rule in” the correct one (and in a sense, “rule out” others)
