ABSTRACT
There are three main strategies that may be used to pursue a diagnosis. These are: diagnosis by exhaustion; hypothetico-deductive method; and pattern recognition. Diagnosis by exhaustion is the method most often used by beginners in the field of diagnosis. This involves first collecting all of the data that are likely to be useful, including a thorough history and examination, and often a raft of diagnostic tests. The hypothetico-deductive method is a more dynamic process in which the clinician evaluates the information that they are receiving from the history to form hypotheses about the likely diagnosis. Pattern recognition is a largely effortless and subconscious process by which an experienced clinician compares a particular patient's clinical presentation with their own accumulated memory bank concerning previous patients whom they have seen or read about. In general, diagnosis should be viewed as a means to an end, namely treatment, not as an end in itself.
