LibGuides: Equity in System Sciences Resources for Cases: Differential Diagnosis Resources

What Could be the Diagnosis?

Sometimes you need a little help to develop a list of possible diagnoses for your patient so you can figure out where to go with your care. There are tools to help with that. Below are the quick check look up tools but I also have a few helpful books when you need a bit more detail and discussion of possible options.

Online Look-up Tools

Isabel Health - Free Symptom Checker
An up and coming tool that is starting to be integrated into the EMR environment. This free version should be very helpful for many look ups. It is aimed at the patients, but is still a good starting point.
Digital DDX
Created by Charlie Goldberg, M.D., and Derek Juang, M.D. and designed so for this type of situation. Check it out.
Diagnosaurus
Use the links to navigate through either symptoms or diseases to find a short list of etiology and when appropriate, those rare causes of a problem. Use the items in this list to know what else to explore in other resources.
Medscape
They have an nice DDX tab. (You may need to create and account - free - to access this resource - and they don't spam.)

Search or browse for a topic of interest and DDX will be one of the sections of available information.
Practical way of creating differential diagnoses through an expanded VITAMINSABCDEK mnemonoic
An article from Adv Med Educ Pract along with an associated video.

Symptoms & DDX Resources

Symptoms and differential diagnositic information is often buried in a number of our resources. Sometimes you need more details than the online tools provide and that means, check the books.

Dr. Gates has found a very helpful text within Access Medicine - Symptoms to Diagnosis: An Evidence Based Guide. Presented through a series of cases of patients complaining of a specific issue, then walks you through buiding the DDX and prioritizing it, and making the diagnosis. Unlike the interactive tools that give you list, this text helps explain the thinking process. Topics include a variety of non-specific complaints from low back pain to weight loss to GI bleeding, to abdominal pain. Check out Chapter 1 as an overview of the diagnostic process.

The books we have include one that helps explain the thinking process (Symptom to Diagnosis) with topics that include a variety of non-specific complaints from low back pain to weight loss to GI bleeding, to abdominal pain. One book has a list of mnemonics (Collins' book) as well as the symptom info. Another book (Syed & Rasul's book) is organized by body areas and the last one (DDX of Common Complaints) focuses on the most common symptions and presents the way a doctor might pursue to diagnosis (images & tests).

Symptom to Diagnosis by Scott D. C. Stern; et al.
An engaging case-based approach to learning the diagnostic process in internal medicine. Each chapter is built around a common patient complaint that illustrates essential concepts and provides insight into the process by which the differential diagnosis is identified. The author points out the findings that help you "rule in" or "rule out" the various diseases. Filled with algorithms, summary tables, and questions that direct evaluation. Check out Chapter 1 as an overview of the diagnostic process.
Differential Diagnosis in Internal Medicine by Walter Siegenthaler
ISBN: 1588905519
Publication Date: 2007
This book encompasses differential diagnosis across the spectrum of internal medicine, covering dermatology, neurology, and rheumatology,and provides the very latest knowledge including pathophysiological aspects. This book traces the path from symptom to diagnosis, just as the physician encounters the situation in the hospital and in the office.

Find information by some common complaints (e.g., fever), by areas of the body (e.g., head & neck), or by clinical criteria (e.g., water, electrolyte & acid-base disorders). Find infomation on the clinical exam & findings as well as diagnostic studies.
The Patient History by Mark Henderson et al
Publication Date: 2012
Highlighting a book you will find in Access Medicine that defines best practices for the patient interview, explaining how to effectively elicit information from the patient in order to generate an accurate differential diagnosis. It also has lots of diagnostic algorithms. For your learning pleasure, they have self-assessment multiple choice Q&A at the end of the chapter. Don't forget you can use a filter to focus on the results from this book.
Differential Diagnosis in Primary Care by R. Douglas Collins
Call Number: WB 141.5 C712d 2012
Print only, but a tremendous resource for understanding the patient's signs & symptoms. Also see suggested procedures and tests. Presented in case-based topics. Check out the TOC to see your options. Also, if you have ever wonder where to find medical mnemonics this book makes them easier to find.
Differential Diagnosis of Common Complaints by Robert H. Seller; Andrew B. Symons
This book looks at the 36 most common symptoms reported by patients in order to quickly and efficiently diagnose a condition. Each chapter mirrors the problem-solving process most physicians use to make a diagnosis. Determine which imaging modalities and laboratory tests offer the greatest efficiencies and accuracy for a given set of symptoms.
Ferri's Clinical Advisor by Fred F. Ferri
Publication Date: 2017
Check out this chapter (of tables) for symptoms and potential diagnoses.