Managing uncertainty in diagnostic practice

Abstract

In spite of the large medical literature devoted to a discussion of the topic, uncertainty, particularly in diagnostic practice, is sometimes mishandled by clinicians. This, I will argue, can in turn lead to medical and ethical problems in patient care. Via the analysis of two recent case studies, I will propose an explanation for why this kind of uncertainty is sometimes not appropriately dealt with during the process of differential diagnosis in the clinic. Furthermore, I will also give recommendations for improving diagnostic practice by highlighting some representative elements of diagnostic uncertainty and reminding clinicians to be aware of the tendency to overlook this uncertainty in routine clinical cases.

Keywords: clinical guidelines; diagnosis; epistemology.