differential diagnosis

diagnosis /di·ag·no·sis/ (di″ag-no´sis) the determination of the nature of a case of a disease or the distinguishing of one disease from another.diagnos´tic

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clinical diagnosis  diagnosis based on signs, symptoms, and laboratory findings during life.

differential diagnosis  the determination of which one of several diseases may be producing the symptoms.

physical diagnosis  diagnosis based on information obtained by inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation.

serum diagnosis  serodiagnosis.

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differential diagnosis

n.

Determination of which one of two or more diseases with similar symptoms is the one from which the patient is suffering. Also called differentiation.

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Differential diagnosis

Comparing and contrasting the signs, symptoms, and laboratory findings of two or more diseases to determine which is causing the patient's condition.

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differential diagnosis,

the distinguishing between two or more diseases with similar symptoms by systematically comparing their signs and symptoms. See also diagnosis.

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diagnosis [di″ag-no´sis]

1. determination of the nature of a cause of a disease.

2. a concise technical description of the cause, nature, or manifestations of a condition, situation, or problem. adj., adj diagnos´tic.

clinical diagnosis diagnosis based on signs, symptoms, and laboratory findings during life.

differential diagnosis the determination of which one of several diseases may be producing the symptoms.

medical diagnosis diagnosis based on information from sources such as findings from a physical examination, interview with the patient or family or both, medical history of the patient and family, and clinical findings as reported by laboratory tests and radiologic studies.

nursing diagnosis see nursing diagnosis.

physical diagnosis diagnosis based on information obtained by inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation.

diagnosis-Related Groups (DRG) a system of classification or grouping of patients according to medical diagnosis for purposes of paying hospitalization costs. In 1983, amendments to Social Security contained a prospective payment plan for most Medicare inpatient services in the United States. The payment plan was intended to control rising health care costs by paying a fixed amount per patient. The program of DRG reimbursement was based on the premise that similar medical diagnoses would generate similar costs for hospitalization. Therefore, all patients admitted for a surgical procedure such as hernia repair would be charged the same amount regardless of actual cost to the hospital. If a patient's hospital bill should total less than the amount paid by Medicare, the hospital is allowed to keep the difference. If, however, a patient's bill is more than that reimbursed by Medicare for a specific diagnosis, the hospital must absorb the difference in cost. See also appendix of Diagnosis-Related Groups.

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diagnosis,

n the translation of data gathered by clinical and radiographic examination into an organized, classified definition of the conditions present.

diagnosis, clinical,

n the determination of the specific disease or diseases involved in producing symptoms and signs by examination of the patient and use of analogy.

diagnosis, dental hygiene,

n the professional determination of a dental hygienist, including evaluation and recommendation, regarding a patient's personal hygienic needs.

diagnosis, differential,

n the process of identifying a condition by differentiating all pathologic processes that may produce similar lesions.

diagnosis, final,

n the diagnosis arrived at after all the data have been collected, analyzed, and subjected to logical thought. Treatment may be necessary in some instances before the final diagnosis is made.

diagnosis, laboratory,

n a diagnosis made from chemical, microscopic, microbiologic, immunologic, or pathologic study of secretions, discharges, blood, or tissue sections.

diagnosis, oral,

n the identification of the cause of a dental disease or abnormality.

diagnosis, radiographic,

n a limited term used to indicate those radiologic interpretations that cannot be verified or disproved by clinical examination.

diagnosis-related group (DRG),

n a system of classifying hospital patients on the basis of diagnosis consisting of distinct groupings. A DRG assignment to a case is based on the patient's principal diagnosis, treatment procedures performed, age, gender, and discharge status.

diagnosis, surgical,

n a surgical incision into a body part or the excision of a lesion for the purpose of determining the cause or nature of an illness.

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diagnosis

a name given to a disease so that each veterinarian means the same syndrome as every other veterinarian. It is then possible to prescribe for and make a prognosis about any one case on the basis of the outcomes in a series of animals with the same diagnosis. A diagnosis may be the name of a disease with a specific etiology, or one which is only a description of the morphological identity of the disease, a pathoanatomical diagnosis, or be a syndrome which is a description of the total symptomatology, or a single clinical sign.

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clinical diagnosis

diagnosis based on clinical signs and laboratory findings during life.

computer assisted diagnosis

a computer program identifies the diseases that fit the identified abnormalities best.

differential diagnosis

the determination of which one of several diseases may be producing the signs observed.

etiological diagnosis

identifies the specific cause of the disease.

pathoanatomical diagnosis

diagnosis to the point of identifying the system and organ involved and the nature of the lesion, but short of identifying the cause.

physical diagnosis

diagnosis based on information obtained by inspection, palpation, percussion and auscultation.

radiological diagnosis

a good radiological report does more than report findings. It interprets these findings if possible up to the point of making a pathoanatomical diagnosis (see above).

veterinary diagnosis

diagnosis performed by a veterinarian and based on information gleaned from a variety of sources, including (1) findings from a physical examination, (2) interview with the owner or custodian of the animal, (3) veterinary history of the patient and its cohorts and (4) paraclinical findings as reported by pertinent laboratory tests and radiological studies.

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differential

exhibiting or depending on a difference.

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differential absorption

see differential absorption.

differential cell count

see differential count.

differential diagnosis

the differences between diseases in terms of clinical signs and epidemiological parameters; used as a basis for selecting as a diagnosis the one with the best fit to those seen in the subject.

differential leukocyte count

see differential count.

differential milk cell counts

count of cells in a milk sample including individual counts of somatic cells and individual leukocyte types.

differential thromboplastin time

used in differentiating the cause of hemophilia. Reagents containing either factor VIII or factor IX are added in the partial thromboplastin time test to demonstrate which factor corrects the prolonged clotting time.

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differential diagnosis

1. A list of conditions that may cause a particular clinical sign or symptom 2. The arrival at a diagnosis by means of comparing the similarities and differences in various clinical signs