Discuss the differential diagnosis (DD) process. Identify 3 different DD processes used in clinical practice.

Discuss the differential diagnosis (DD) process. Identify 3 different DD processes used in clinical practice.  Describe the risks/benefits of these 3 processes.

Initial Post:

• Due: Thursday, 11:59 pm PT

• Length: A minimum of 250 words, not including references

• Citations: At least one high-level scholarly reference in APA from within the last 5 years

More details;

What is differential diagnosis?

Differential diagnosis is a process wherein a doctor differentiates between two or more conditions that could be behind a person’s symptoms.

When making a diagnosis, a doctor may have a single theory as to the cause of a person’s symptoms. They may then order tests to confirm their suspected diagnosis.

Often, however, there is no single laboratory test that can definitively diagnose the cause of a person’s symptoms. This is because many conditions share the same or similar symptoms, and some present in a variety of different ways. To make a diagnosis, a doctor may need to use a technique called differential diagnosis.

This article describes what differential diagnosis is and provides some examples. It will also explain how to interpret the results of differential diagnosis.

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A doctor may perform a differential diagnosis when there is no single laboratory test to diagnose the cause of a person’s symptoms.

Differential diagnosis involves making a list of possible conditions that could be causing a person’s symptoms. The doctor will base this list on information they gain from:

the person’s medical history, including their self-reported symptoms physical examination findings diagnostic testing

Less commonly in the diagnostic approach, a doctor may have one theory about the cause of a person’s symptoms and test for that one condition.

However, many conditions share some of the same or similar symptoms. This makes the underlying condition difficult to diagnose using a nondifferential diagnostic approach.

A differential diagnostic approach is helpful when there may be multiple potential causes to consider.