ABSTRACT
This chapter examines processes common to many diagnostic workups, reviews contributing factors to diagnostic errors, and provides suggestions for clinicians, healthcare institutions, and patients to improve the odds of making the right diagnosis. Diagnosis error is the leading source of paid malpractice claims, accounting for the highest proportion of payments and the largest settlements, and involving the cases most likely to experience the worst patient outcomes. Most diagnoses begin with a conversation—an interview with the patient. No one has yet established how accurate, reproducible, or valid the patient history is. Once the history is obtained, diagnosis begins with a fundamental clinical assessment of the patient: the physical examination. The physical examination begins with the measurement of vital signs that reflect the overall health of the patient. Routine clinical laboratory tests include common and basic examinations of blood and serum, such as chemistry panels, hematology, serology, and coagulation studies.
