• Question: -if you disagreed with a diagnosis made by another physician, how would you try to resolve it?

    Asked by Maariya on 15 Mar 2022.
    • Photo: Sally Cuthbert

      Sally Cuthbert answered on 15 Mar 2022:

      I don’t know if I would ‘resolve it’. I respect that my colleagues have different opinions and I would ensure that my notes reflect my own professional opinion back up with my own clinical reasoning. In mental health people do differ with their opinions so it’s being able to justify and explain why you think something. Can be tricky in the workplace but the skill is to listen and be curious and open minded.

    • Photo: Anita Raja

      Anita Raja answered on 15 Mar 2022:

      The diagnosis can keep evolving . It’s never one clinician vs another . We are all trying to work in harmony to benefit the patient . Hence , sometimes it’s trial and error . So never have had to “resolve “ yet have been open about trying something new if previous management plan has failed . Patients are usually very accepting of this .

    • Photo: Aaliya Goyal

      Aaliya Goyal answered on 18 Mar 2022:

      I respect the opinion of my colleagues and understand they make a decision at a point in time with the information they have. Sometimes the information changes. Patients aren’t always as clear as a textbook would make you believe! A diagnosis can be guided by what we see/hear as well as investigations and experience. We can all learn from each other too!

Comments

  • Photo: Heather

    Heather commented on :

    in the ambulance service we generally work across teams – ie hospitals and GPs so not always with people we know; making sure everything is clear in your handover notes, and that the patient is not in immediate danger. we don’t really get in to disagreements about diagnoses – mainly because we don’t diagnose…but I think Sally’s point about documenting decisions and clinical reasoning is top advice.

    if patient disagrees with a physician, I would suggest that they ask for the reasoning behind the diagnosis, and explain their source of disagreement, so that they can hear the clinician’s reasoning and rationale for the diagnosis. That also would help the patient work out whether they agree or disagree with the diagnosis. and if they still do, asking the patient to think about why.

    most healthcare professionals genuinely do want what is best for their patients and have the humility to be able to have an open discussion about their judgments

    I hope that makes sense!!

  • Photo: Maariya

    Maariya commented on :

    Thank you for answering the question! The answer was perfect 🙂