Considering Pertinent Negatives and Positives
You will review the history and physical of an adult patient exam and address the critical indicators used to develop the differential diagnosis in the specific care plan to be developed for the patient.
Organization, style, and formatting of the APA 6th Edition Manual. assignment should:
- clearly establish and maintain the viewpoint and purpose of the assignment;
- follow the conventions of Standard American English (correct grammar, punctuation, etc.);
- be well ordered, logical, and unified, as well as original and insightful;
- display superior content, organization, style, and mechanics; and
- use APA 6th edition format for crediting sources.
3-5 references
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
As a medical professor designing and conducting assignments for medical college students, it is critical to address the essential factors that contribute to the development of a differential diagnosis and care plan for patients. This assignment will review the history and physical of an adult patient and how to consider pertinent negatives and positives to develop an effective care plan.
Answer:
When reviewing the history and physical of an adult patient to develop a differential diagnosis and care plan, it is essential to consider both pertinent negatives and positives. Pertinent negatives refer to the absence of specific symptoms or signs that you would typically expect to see in a patient with a particular diagnosis. Pertinent positives refer to the presence of symptoms or signs that are associated with a particular diagnosis.
To evaluate pertinent negatives and positives, a thorough understanding of the patient’s medical history, current symptoms, and physical examination findings is necessary. It is also important to consider the presence or absence of risk factors for specific diseases or conditions.
For example, if a patient is complaining of chest pain, pertinent positives may include symptoms such as radiating pain to the arm or back, shortness of breath, nausea, or sweating. On the other hand, pertinent negatives may include a lack of cough, fever, or recent illness, which would suggest that the chest pain is not related to a respiratory infection.
Overall, considering pertinent negatives and positives is critical in developing an accurate differential diagnosis and care plan. It is important to have a broad knowledge base of medical conditions, risk factors, and associated symptoms and signs to provide optimal patient care.
