Legal Definitions - diagnosis

A diagnosis refers to the process of identifying a specific medical condition, illness, or disease by evaluating a person's symptoms, medical history, and often through physical examinations, laboratory tests, or imaging studies. It also refers to the conclusion reached after this investigative process.

• Example 1: A patient visits their primary care physician complaining of a persistent cough, fatigue, and a low-grade fever. The doctor listens to their lungs, checks their throat, and asks about recent travel and exposures. Based on this assessment, the doctor determines the patient has bronchitis.

  Explanation: This illustrates the doctor's investigative process of gathering information through physical examination and symptom review, and the resulting identification of bronchitis is the diagnosis.

• Example 2: A person experiences numbness and tingling in their limbs, along with occasional dizziness. After several consultations, a neurologist orders an MRI scan of their brain and spine, along with specific blood tests. Reviewing these detailed results, the neurologist concludes the patient has multiple sclerosis.

  Explanation: Here, the diagnosis involves a more extensive and specialized investigative process using advanced medical imaging and laboratory tests to pinpoint a complex neurological condition.

• Example 3: A child develops a distinctive red, itchy rash on their arms and legs after spending time outdoors. Their parents take them to an urgent care clinic. The attending physician visually examines the rash, asks about potential exposure to plants, and quickly identifies it as poison ivy dermatitis.

  Explanation: This example demonstrates a diagnosis made primarily through visual inspection and a brief history, leading to the identification of a specific skin condition.