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Diagnostic Process and Testing

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Figuring out what is wrong and how to treat it involves some “Detective Work.”

The diagnosis and treatment often start with first, having a good understanding of how the body is built and works; in other words, it is called form and function, or anatomy and physiology. When things go wrong, it is called a condition, disease, or pathophysiology. A clinician such as a doctor, nurse, mom, best friend, or even a community health worker, can begin to understand what is wrong by getting clues with the tools that you will learn from lessons. Some things are apparent, and others require sophisticated and expensive medical diagnostic workup. Your job here is to understand how and why things are approached in a detective manner. You don’t need to be a clinician to do this, but you need to be an advocate for patients and be prepared to guide them through the history, physical, and diagnostic testing, and eventually with treatment. Click below to see how doctors think as they approach a person with an issue or condition.