errors in diagnosis
Last reviewed 01/2018
Six common errors in the diagnostic process are:
1. Fixation on a hypothesis 2. Stop looking 3. Rule-out syndrome 4. Making very unlikely hypotheses 5. Retaining unsustainable hypotheses 6. Making unsupportable hypotheses
Keep asking 'Does a particular hypothesis remains credible in the given circumstances?' and 'What else could it be?'. If in doubt, discuss the case with colleagues.
ref: B Joorabchi quoted by Robin C Fraser in Clinical Method: a general practice approach 2e 1992 Butterworth Heinemann