What is a differential diagnosis for a well visit?

Asked by: Mrs. Danielle Dibbert DDS  |  Last update: July 6, 2025
Score: 4.9/5 (15 votes)

A list of possible conditions helps your provider decide which tests will help confirm or rule out the conditions that could be causing your symptoms. Your test results help narrow your differential diagnosis list until it's clear which condition you have. This is your final diagnosis.

What is a differential diagnosis for a wellness exam?

A differential diagnosis is a list of possible conditions that share the same symptoms that you described to your healthcare provider. This list is not your final diagnosis, but a theory as to what is potentially causing your symptoms.

What is an example of a differential diagnosis?

For example, a patient who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder may also be given a differential diagnosis of borderline personality disorder, given the similarity in the symptoms of both conditions. Strategies used in preparing a differential diagnosis list vary with the experience of the healthcare provider.

What to put in a differential diagnosis?

Differential diagnosis involves making a list of possible conditions that could be causing a person's symptoms. The doctor will base this list on information they gain from: the person's medical history, including their self-reported symptoms. physical examination findings.

How to answer a differential diagnosis question?

The Process of Differential Diagnosis
  1. You gather all the info about the patient (yep, that includes the dreaded “family history” questions).
  2. You devise a list of potential causes based on the symptoms.
  3. You prioritize that list, ranking them by probability and risk.

Differential Diagnosis

40 related questions found

What must be considered when developing a differential diagnosis list?

The differential diagnosis is generated from the patients' problem list. In emergency medicine, we not only focus on the likely diagnosis but must also think about the potentially life-threatening diagnoses or other problems that could endanger the patient if delayed or missed.

What is evidence based differential diagnosis?

This process is known as differential diagnosis, in which a clinician uses prior knowledge alongside unique clinical findings from the patient, to prioritize the list of possibilities into a leading suspicion or working diagnosis, a few potentially active alternatives, and other possibilities that do not merit further ...

What is an example of diagnosis?

Examples of diagnosis in a Sentence

The unusual combination of symptoms made accurate diagnosis difficult. She is an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases. The diagnosis was a mild concussion. His doctor made an initial diagnosis of pneumonia.

What is differential diagnosis lab results?

A differential blood count is a blood test to check your white blood cell levels, which can indicate the presence of infection, disease, or an allergic reaction. Your doctor might order it as part of routine testing or to check for infections and other problems.

Why is it important to have a differential diagnosis?

The process of making a differential diagnosis may take time, but it helps make sure your provider doesn't miss a possible cause of your symptoms. That means your final diagnosis is more likely to be accurate and you'll get the right treatment.

What are some examples of differential?

Here are a few differential equations.
  • (dy/dx) = sin x.
  • (d2y/dx2) + k2y = 0.
  • (d2y/dt2) + (d2x/dt2) = x.
  • (d3y/dx3) + x(dy/dx) - 4xy = 0.
  • (rdr/dθ) + cosθ = 5.

What are the 5 differential diagnoses for cough?

Possible causes include upper airway cough syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease, non-asthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis, chronic bronchitis, postinfectious cough, intolerance to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor medication, malignancy, interstitial lung diseases, obstructive sleep apnea, chronic sinusitis, ...

What is the basic differential diagnosis?

Differential Diagnosis
  • Step One: Identify and list the symptoms. ...
  • Step Two: Consider and evaluate the most common diagnosis first. ...
  • Step Three: List all possible diagnosis for the given symptoms. ...
  • Step Four: Prioritize the list of candidate conditions by their severity.

What is differential test in medical terms?

A blood differential test measures the amount of each type of white blood cell (WBC) that you have in your blood. This test can help diagnose or monitor an infection or condition that affects your immune system. White blood cells are also called leukocytes and WBCs.

What is the difference between a tentative diagnosis and a differential diagnosis?

The provisional diagnosis is often given at the beginning of the process. It provides a starting point but lacks confirmation. The differential diagnosis focuses on listing the conditions that might match a patient's symptoms. It can help doctors collect the information they need to rule out other causes.

What are the 4 types of diagnosis?

Types of medical diagnosis are:
  • Provisional: Based on physical exam and clinical findings.
  • Histopathological: Done by a pathologist after examining sample tissue under a microscope.
  • Final: Done based on provisional diagnosis and investigations.

What is a differential diagnosis in primary care?

Differential Diagnosis in Primary Care has been specifically written with the needs of the Primary Care physician in mind. It examines the potential causes of common presentations and aims to help the physician differentiate between diseases, using history and examination alone.

What is the most common diagnosis?

In 2018 there were approximately 860,386,000 visits to primary care offices. The top five diagnoses—essential hypertension, diabetes mellitus, osteoarthritis, depressive disorders, and acute respiratory infections—accounted for more than one-tenth of these visits.

What is the differential diagnosis document?

The differential diagnosis is a list of the most likely infectious causes or etiologies of an outbreak. Differential diagnosis also refers to the process of comparing how likely one pathogen or etiology caused the disease versus another.

What is the analysis of differential diagnosis?

Determining the differential diagnosis is the process of distinguishing one disease from another that presents with similar symptoms. With the chief complaint established, information is gathered through the history and physical examination.

What is a differential diagnosis of pneumonia?

Differential Diagnosis of Pneumonia

Bilateral pulmonary edema, shortness of breath. Past medical history, no infiltrates on chest X-ray, fever is uncommon. CXR showing features of pleural effusion, inflammatory markers on thoracocentesis.

What is rule in and rule out in differential diagnosis?

Background: To select a proper diagnostic test, it is recommended that the most specific test be used to confirm (rule in) a diagnosis, and the most sensitive test be used to establish that a disease is unlikely (rule out). These rule-in and rule-out concepts can also be characterized by the likelihood ratio (LR).

Can a differential diagnosis be coded?

While your differential diagnoses may include “possible,” “probable,”, “rule out” or “consistent with” diagnoses to reflect the complexity of your medical decision making, ICD 10 coding rules for outpatient services state you cannot use these “indeterminant terms” as diagnosis codes.

What steps might the patient have to go through to determine a diagnosis?

The committee identified four types of information-gathering activities in the diagnostic process: taking a clinical history and interview; performing a physical exam; obtaining diagnostic testing; and sending a patient for referrals or consultations.