Diagnosis is a complex categorisation task driven by mental models that reside in long term memory. Through education and experience, clinicians form scripts that encapsulate their knowledge of specific conditions and develop diagnostic schemas that structure their approach to a specific health problem.

This cognitive process also intersects with systems, teamwork, and social factors that can enhance or reduce diagnostic accuracy.

In this podcast, we hear about five techniques that can help with the accuracy of those mental models, and mitigate against some of the external factors which may reduce diagnostic accuracy.

Our guests;

Hardeep Singh trained as a GP before moving to becoming a general internist and professor of patient safety research at Michael E DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine Houston.

Denise Connor is an associate professor of medicine at University of California San Francisco and a practicing internist at San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center.