SHADOW HEALTH-ANNITA DOUGLAS
Hello! Welcome to the Conditions of the Hematologic System Advanced Diagnostics
Assignment. I'm Preceptor Diana, and I've asked you here today to collaborate with me on
determining a working medical diagnosis for my patient, Anita Douglas. Anita Douglas is a
72-year-old Black woman who has been experiencing fatigue and weakness. In this
assignment, you will use the notes from my patient interview and clinical assessment while
you move through each step of the diagnostic process, and ultimately perform a differential
diagnosis of Dr. Douglas.
Activities for this assignment include:
« selecting differential diagnoses
« identifying “Do-Not-Miss" differential diagnoses
* selecting appropriate diagnostic tests
* linking diagnostic tests to differential diagnoses
* reviewing diagnostic tests
* determining a working diagnosis
By the end of this assignment, you will have:
« practiced clinical, diagnostic reasoning
» determined the diagnostic approach most appropriate to patient care
« interpreted the available evidence to gain a fuller understanding of the patient's condition
« provided evidence-based support for patient tests
« evaluated diagnostic tests to determine a working medical diagnosis
, In this assignment, | will be asking you to establish a working medical diagnosis for my
patient, Anita Douglas. You will be given patient details and notes from the initial patient
interview. You will then select potential differential diagnoses, identifying any high-priority, "red
flag", or “Do-Not-Miss" differentials. Once you have made your selections, you will order the
appropriate diagnostic tests needed to rule out or rule in your differential diagnoses. Finally,
you will be given the results of these tests and asked to evaluate them to determine a working
medical diagnosis.
While performing your differential diagnosis, remember the following:
« Itis important to prioritize your “Do-Not-Miss" differentials. If a patient's symptoms could
be caused by a condition which would require urgent care or immediately threaten their
safety, you must consider that diagnosis even if another diagnosis is more likely.
+ When ordering diagnostic tests for the patient, you will be asked to link that test back to
the specific differential or differentials you are trying to rule in or rule out. In a clinical setting,
this step could determine whether or not a test is approved by a healthcare institution’s
insurance provider.
+ Some diagnostic tests are more invasive or more expensive than others. When ordering
tests, it is important to take the patient's comfort and circumstances into account. You should
try to use the least invasive, most cost-effective tests that will provide you with the
information necessary to offer the patient the best possible care.
In this assignment, you will be graded on the following activities:
« identifying “Do-Not-Miss" differentials
« selecting appropriate diagnostic tests
« linking tests to the differentials they will rule out or rule in
« determining an appropriate working diagnosis
At several points throughout the assignment, you will be asked to explain your rationale for a
clinical decision in open-notes form. These notes will not be graded automatically by the
simulation. However, your instructor may choose to evaluate them.
Your score for this assignment
will be based on:
« following the decision-making steps of the differential diagnosis process
« prioritizing your patient's safety
« correctly reviewing and evaluating medical evidence
Hello! Welcome to the Conditions of the Hematologic System Advanced Diagnostics
Assignment. I'm Preceptor Diana, and I've asked you here today to collaborate with me on
determining a working medical diagnosis for my patient, Anita Douglas. Anita Douglas is a
72-year-old Black woman who has been experiencing fatigue and weakness. In this
assignment, you will use the notes from my patient interview and clinical assessment while
you move through each step of the diagnostic process, and ultimately perform a differential
diagnosis of Dr. Douglas.
Activities for this assignment include:
« selecting differential diagnoses
« identifying “Do-Not-Miss" differential diagnoses
* selecting appropriate diagnostic tests
* linking diagnostic tests to differential diagnoses
* reviewing diagnostic tests
* determining a working diagnosis
By the end of this assignment, you will have:
« practiced clinical, diagnostic reasoning
» determined the diagnostic approach most appropriate to patient care
« interpreted the available evidence to gain a fuller understanding of the patient's condition
« provided evidence-based support for patient tests
« evaluated diagnostic tests to determine a working medical diagnosis
, In this assignment, | will be asking you to establish a working medical diagnosis for my
patient, Anita Douglas. You will be given patient details and notes from the initial patient
interview. You will then select potential differential diagnoses, identifying any high-priority, "red
flag", or “Do-Not-Miss" differentials. Once you have made your selections, you will order the
appropriate diagnostic tests needed to rule out or rule in your differential diagnoses. Finally,
you will be given the results of these tests and asked to evaluate them to determine a working
medical diagnosis.
While performing your differential diagnosis, remember the following:
« Itis important to prioritize your “Do-Not-Miss" differentials. If a patient's symptoms could
be caused by a condition which would require urgent care or immediately threaten their
safety, you must consider that diagnosis even if another diagnosis is more likely.
+ When ordering diagnostic tests for the patient, you will be asked to link that test back to
the specific differential or differentials you are trying to rule in or rule out. In a clinical setting,
this step could determine whether or not a test is approved by a healthcare institution’s
insurance provider.
+ Some diagnostic tests are more invasive or more expensive than others. When ordering
tests, it is important to take the patient's comfort and circumstances into account. You should
try to use the least invasive, most cost-effective tests that will provide you with the
information necessary to offer the patient the best possible care.
In this assignment, you will be graded on the following activities:
« identifying “Do-Not-Miss" differentials
« selecting appropriate diagnostic tests
« linking tests to the differentials they will rule out or rule in
« determining an appropriate working diagnosis
At several points throughout the assignment, you will be asked to explain your rationale for a
clinical decision in open-notes form. These notes will not be graded automatically by the
simulation. However, your instructor may choose to evaluate them.
Your score for this assignment
will be based on:
« following the decision-making steps of the differential diagnosis process
« prioritizing your patient's safety
« correctly reviewing and evaluating medical evidence
