8 Ways to Help Doctors Make the Right Diagnosis

Jakarta, It's not always easy to find a proper diagnosis, especially if the symptoms experienced by patients is unclear or too general. Common symptoms may be such as headache, fever, and fatigue. So that it can allow some doctors misdiagnose.

It is estimated misdiagnosis rate ranges between 10-15 percent. The results of new research on medical malpractice committed in the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Silver Spring, MD found that, five conditions are most often misdiagnosed heart attacks, breast cancer, appendicitis, lung cancer, and colon cancer.

Here are 8 ways you can do to help the doctor make a proper diagnosis as quoted from Epharmapedia, Tuesday (10/01/2012), among others:


1. Take note of any symptoms

"Often patients do not mention or forget to convey some of the symptoms is important enough to help the doctor make a proper diagnosis. Before visiting a doctor, you should record the symptoms or complaints to be submitted to the doctor. So there are no symptoms or complaints are missed to be submitted to the doctor," said Charles Cutler, MD, an internist from Norristown.

2. Getting to know the family medical history

"Keep track of family medical history repeated, can help doctors diagnose the right. If you do not know, then it may be able to find out through other family relatives. Conditions such as cancer, heart disease, even depression and anxiety have a genetic component," said Caroline Abruzese , MD, head of Personalized Healthcare in Atlanta.

3. Bringing drugs that have been consumed

"For years I have seen some unusual things with the drug, including the wrong pills in the bottle. Bringing the drugs that have been consumed when visiting the doctor, it can also help doctors in diagnosis. In addition, it can also help doctors determine prescribe the right medicine for patients, "said Cutler.

4. Telling the symptoms as clearly and completely as possible

Telling the symptoms are as clear and complete as possible at the doctor, of course, can help doctors diagnose the right. "Accurate information is incomplete but better than definitive, but potentially wrong," said Abruzese.

5. Telling the specific symptoms

Try to understand as accurately as possible about the symptoms are felt. If you feel pain, then understand whether the pain is sharp or blunt, come with a sudden or constant. Also understand when pain appears, trigger pain, and how many times to feel the pain.

6. Ask your doctor about what symptoms should be tracked

If the doctors are still difficulties in establishing the diagnosis, then ask what to do or what symptoms should be tracked in order to help establish the diagnosis, "said Gordon Schiff, MD, propagators of the Center for Patient Safety Research and Practice at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

7. Do not be afraid to ask lots of questions to the doctor

Do not be afraid to ask lots of questions to the doctors about what they need to be able to diagnose accurately. Ask your doctor about possible investigations that can be made to establish an accurate diagnosis.

8. Visiting another doctor for second opinion

If the doctor who first visited are still in doubt in the diagnosis, then do not hesitate to visit another doctor to request a second opinion. Besides visiting another doctor, also can visit a specialist in accordance with his expertise. Good communication between doctors and patients will be able to help establish an accurate diagnosis by a physician.

source : About Daily