Only 1 in 15 patients with proteinuria detected by urine dipstick in primary care undergo follow-up albuminuria quantification testing, despite guidelines recommending this as the next step for accurate diagnosis and treatment of chronic kidney disease.
Diagnostic errors are common in primary care, and clinicians should focus on practices like maintaining humility, using checklists, and collaborating with patients to improve diagnostic accuracy.
Direct-to-consumer (DTC) rheumatologic tests can provide patients with a sense of control over their health, but they also carry significant risks of overdiagnosis, misdiagnosis, and disruption of the patient-provider relationship.
Multiple sclerosis experts are recommending updates to the 2017 McDonald diagnostic criteria to make the diagnosis of MS easier, faster, and more accurate.
Large language models (LLMs) have demonstrated remarkable potential in automating disease diagnosis, offering enhanced accuracy, efficiency, and accessibility in clinical practice.
Endoscopic assessment of esophageal mucosal impedance is a promising alternative to traditional methods for diagnosing gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), offering higher comfort for patients and potentially more consistent results.
The FDA has approved a new blood-based test for colorectal cancer screening, providing a non-invasive option, but with limitations in detecting precancerous lesions compared to colonoscopy.
Blood-based biomarkers can now accurately diagnose Alzheimer's disease, enabling earlier detection and access to new treatments.
The development of a highly accurate blood test for early Alzheimer's disease diagnosis raises important ethical considerations and accessibility concerns that need to be addressed.
Urine Gram stain has moderate predictive value for detecting gram-negative bacteria in urine culture but does not significantly improve urinary tract infection (UTI) diagnosis in the emergency department compared to other urine analysis methods.