How to Diagnose a Medical Condition

Medical diagnoses are usually based on looking at a combination of the symptoms and basic diagnostic tests. With an understanding of basic medical science and/or through diagnostic tests, these symptoms can be correlated to a few possible diseases, which can then be ruled out.

Instructions

• 1

  Identify the primary symptom. This is the symptom that the patient finds the most troublesome. A common example of this is pain.

• 2

  Obtain more information about the primary symptom. Ask the patient to describe it. If it is pain, ask them to tell you what the pain feels like. If they have a cough, ask them if it feels like a dry or a wet cough.

• 3

  Identify other symptoms. These can often yield insights, as certain diseases have typical groups of symptoms.

• 4

  Identify things that make the symptoms worse or better. For pain, heat or cold can help with the symptoms, as can anti-inflammatory medications. Breathing problems can be affected by posture or by cold air and other allergens.

• 5

  Perform medical tests. Typical diagnostic tests include blood work and X-rays, though they vary depending on the disease.