When to ask, "What else could it be?"
Friday, March 30, 2007
There is no absolute solution for misdiagnosis since slowing down the medical process to test every patient for every possible condition given their symptoms is completely impractical. This is a very good point and one we need to keep in mind. The book is intended to get doctors to be conscious of how their thought processes can help or hinder a diagnosis as well as to get patients to stop and think about their role in helping the doctor come to an accurate conclusion.Asking, “What else could it be?” is certainly not intended to be an invitation for a laundry list of probably useless tests but instead a device the patient can use to help the doctor look at the problem from all angles and perhaps put together the pieces of information in a new way. And this is not necessarily a question for a first visit, either. If there have been the same symptoms for a long time and recommended treatments have not solved the problem, then patients and doctors should start thinking about other options. This is a way to open up that avenue of dialogue.
This was written in response to a comment in a column from a National Post article in which How Doctor's Think is referenced.
