Task 1.5: A Rapid Revision to Your Differential

This time, you will need to do your revisions to the differential diagnosis in a much more rapid -- though equally thought out -- manner.

Getting Started

1. As a team, review the email from Dr. Campbell to determine the parameters of the change to Ella's condition.
   
   
2. Organize your team to do the work. Break the work up as your team determines, but remember: time is of the essence here. Strive toward efficiency, while applying all you've learned over the last several tasks.
   

Revising the Differential Diagnosis

1. Taking each sign and symptom separately, conduct research in DATA in the Resources link (above) and elsewhere as needed to determine what each symptom might mean.
   
   
2. Come together as a team to share your findings, discussing how it impacts the differential diagnosis.
• Be sure to listen to each person as they discuss their findings. Although you are under a time crunch, it is still important to hear everyone's point of view.
  
  
3. Move systematically together through the differential diagnosis document, making changes where they are needed due to the new information. Again, using prior versions of the differential diagnosis may be useful at this point.

1. Be sure to rule out any diagnoses that are no longer viable based on the current test results.
   
   
2. Remember, one test may be more accurate in detecting some diagnoses than others. You will need to do some research using DATA (Diagnosis and Treatment Archive) in Resources (above). For each test used to uncover information about a diagnosis, you need to find out:
   • Does a negative result on this test usually rule out this diagnosis with near-certainty?
   • Can abnormal results sometimes be difficult to see?
   • Does this test require time to pass before it will show an abnormal result?
   • Is there any risk that this test could worsen an underlying undiagnosed issue?
     
     
3. Be sure to support your conclusions with evidence from the tests and your own deductive reasoning. Discuss any factors that you think should be given more or less weight in this decision.
   
   
1. Next, decide whether you need to change the ranking of those diagnoses which were not investigated further through testing. Ask yourself:
   • Does the current evidence for (or against) this diagnosis still justify its ranking in the differential?
     
     
   • In light of other diagnoses that may have changed in likelihood based on test results, has the relative likelihood of this particular diagnosis changed as well? If so, is it more or less likely than it was before?
     
     
2. Check to make sure you have reviewed all of the diagnoses in your differential.
   

Review and Submit Your Work.

1. Review your work.
   • Did you work together with your team to determine a good strategy to working through the task efficiently?
     
     
   • Did you complete the research and differential diagnosis revision in a timely manner, while still listening to your teammates and incorporating their ideas and feedback?
2. Submit your work.
   • Review the checklist located in the Submit your work section of this task to ensure completion of the task before submitting your deliverables to your mentor.

Diagnosis and Treatment Archive (DATA) - Mystery Case

Diagnosis and Treatment Process
This document describes the process that health care professionals typically use to diagnose and treat their patients.