What is Diagnosis
Posted by Medical Fan - 18/03/09 at 07:03 amWHAT IS A DIAGNOSIS?
Medical signs and symptoms may mean different but they are not totally dissimilar. A symptom is any subjective evidence of disease. It is an occurrence of specific phenomenon relative to the individual. They are sensations and feelings which only the patients may experience.
Meanwhile, a sign is an objective evidence of disease. It is a sign that can be detected by the people surrounding the affected individual. Usually, these people are the family members or the medical practitioners.
Medical diagnosis by symptoms is a little bit difficult than diagnosing signs. This should compel the patient to be honest and straightforward to the physician concerning the things he or she feels. It is imperative that the patient tell everything to the doctor, especially if his or her medical history is not up to date. This will immensely help the doctor in arriving at the differential diagnosis.
However, fear of doctors and hospitals has forced some people to resort to their own medical diagnosis by symptoms. This is usually done through the help of medical books, research, publications, past personal experiences, or family history. Though self-diagnosis can be practical in some cases, as a word of caution, self-diagnosis could be very erroneous. It can also lead to misdiagnosis which can potentially be very dangerous. Because of this, even the physicians themselves are highly discouraged to make their self-diagnosis.
The process of medical diagnosis by symptoms is important to medical practice. Once the physician has reached a diagnosis, he can now propose management plan to address the condition of the patient. This may include treatment and the post-treatment steps to take.