making a diagnosis: the two lists
Last reviewed 01/2018
A GP's differential diagnosis consists of two lists:
1. The most likely diagnoses - based on probability
2. The important diagnoses - less likely but based on seriousness or treatability
There are also "novelty" diagnoses which should be rarely included in the differential diagnosis.
ref: AS Elstein et al quoted by Robin C Fraser in Clinical Method: a general practice approach 2e 1992 Butterworth Heinemann