ABSTRACT
This chapter describes diagnosis as a decision that is made in a single moment by a single person, or a decision made by a number of individuals acting in sequence, or a process that occurs over space and time depending on numerous people and processes, or as a real-time face-to-face collaborative process. These differing images reflect the varied settings in which diagnosis takes place. Individual excellence in cognition is essential for all diagnostic work. But some diagnostic work also requires interpersonal communication skills and professional collaboration. Diagnostic excellence within healthcare organizations also requires institutional commitment to reliable processes for the timely and accurate flow of information, support for second opinions, and structures for team development. The concept of multidisciplinary medical teams has become rather expansive and open to a number of new voices and opinions. Diagnosis has traditionally been considered the work of individual clinicians. In fact, diagnosis often requires the collaboration of multiple experts over space and time.
