Why is diagnosis not probabilistic in clinical-pathological conference (CPCs): Point
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Bimal P. Jain
Abstract
The main reason a probabilistic approach is not employed for diagnosis in clinical-pathological conferences (CPCs) is the notion of prior probability as prior evidence in it which encourages failure to suspect diseases with atypical presentations thus increasing diagnostic errors. In addition, errors in some individual persons are a necessary consequence of employing a probabilistic approach for inference as is seen in its use in the life insurance business. This consequence is in conflict with the aim in diagnosis of determining a disease correctly in every individual patient which also leads to a probabilistic approach not being employed in CPCs.
Author contributions: The author has accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.
Research funding: None declared.
Employment or leadership: None declared.
Honorarium: None declared.
Competing interests: The funding organization(s) played no role in thestudy design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretationof data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision tosubmit the report for publication.
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- Point
- Why is diagnosis not probabilistic in clinical-pathological conference (CPCs): Point
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Point
- Why is diagnosis not probabilistic in clinical-pathological conference (CPCs): Point
- Counterpoint
- Diagnosis is driven by probabilistic reasoning: counter-point
- Original Articles
- Admissions after discharge from an emergency department for chest symptoms
- Inaccurate or delayed diagnosis of hollow organ perforation by emergency physicians: using a qualitative approach to identify the causes
- Changes in cognitive function after pediatric intensive care unit rounds: a prospective study
- Access to scientific information. A national survey of the Italian Society of Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine (SIBioC)
