Higher-Order Thinking About Differential Diagnosis Discussion Paper
Health History Discussion
Acquiring a complete explanation of a client’s history of present disease is vital for different reasons. For instance, the healthcare professional can deduce a correct diagnosis (Nichol et al., 2022). A comprehensive and complete explanation of this history assists these professionals in collecting critical data concerning the patient’s prevailing signs, their start, progression, and linked components. Further, this data is indispensable for making correct diagnoses. Also, the patient’s history can help in averting medication-related mistakes. For example, doctors can obtain data to avoid potential danger or injury to the client during treatment, like eluding prescribing or administering drugs to a patient with adverse reactions. Higher-Order Thinking About Differential Diagnosis Discussion Paper
Moreover, gaining a client’s family history and demographics is vital because it can offer genetic and hereditary links or factors. Some illnesses possess a genetic element, and comprehending the prevalence of specific conditions and situations within a client’s family can assist healthcare professionals in examining the client’s risks and considering suitable preventive or screening measures. Family history and demographic data provide a general picture, helping healthcare professionals make correct diagnoses (Yanase & Triantaphyllou, 2019). Further, it gives structure and potential hints to the fundamental source of the client’s signs and manifestations. Notably, this family history and demographics can also help the medical team to provide personalized care.
According to Cook & Décary. (2020), differential diagnosis is a structured procedure to recognize the accurate client diagnosis from a cluster of possible diagnoses. The authors contend that identifying the weaknesses of diagnostic labeling and comprehending how to utilize the disease clusters needs higher-order thinking. Since it is a systemic approach, developing this diagnosis compels healthcare professionals to approach the diagnostic procedure in a structured manner. It drives them to scrutinize a broad range of probabilities, comprising rare and common illnesses, instead of untimely selecting one diagnosis. Also, the diagnosis considers multiple elements like medical history, manifestations, lab results, and physical exams. Higher-Order Thinking About Differential Diagnosis Discussion Paper
References
Cook, C. E., & Décary, S. (2020). Higher-order thinking about differential diagnosis. Brazilian journal of physical therapy, 24(1), 1-7.
Nichol, J. R., Sundjaja, J. H., & Nelson, G. (2022). Medical History. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing.
Yanase, J., & Triantaphyllou, E. (2019). A systematic survey of computer-aided diagnosis in medicine: Past and present developments. Expert Systems with Applications, 138, 112821. Higher-Order Thinking About Differential Diagnosis Discussion Paper
Discussion Prompt
Read the following articles: Medical History- Important information to know as a nurse practitionerLinks to an external site.
High order thinking about differential diagnosisLinks to an external site..
As a nurse practitioner, obtaining a detailed health history for presenting complaints is an integral role in clinical practice. Read the attached articles in the links provided above, analyze the articles by answering the following questions.
Why is it important to obtain a complete description of the patient’s history of present illness?
In obtaining a history, why is it important to obtain a patient’s family history and demographic information. how does it help with accurate diagnosis?
Explain the importance of a formulating a differential diagnosis and how it helps to arrive at an accurate diagnosis.
Write a post of 2 -3 paragraphs. Higher-Order Thinking About Differential Diagnosis Discussion Paper