Getting the correct diagnosis as soon as possible, without unnecessary tests or trials of failed treatment, is the goal and hallmark of excellent healthcare. Clinical reasoning is central to the goal of rapidly deducing the correct clinical diagnosis whilst continuing to be safe and careful. This reasoning is also required to make optimal, patient-centred decisions afterwards.Commonplace healthcare and training are far from attaining this goal. Inability to correctly diagnose patients is often accompanied by mistakes, wastage, and sometimes allegations of medical malpractice. Some countries...

Getting the correct diagnosis as soon as possible, without unnecessary tests or trials of failed treatment, is the goal and hallmark of excellent healthcare. Clinical reasoning is central to the goal of rapidly deducing the correct clinical diagnosis whilst continuing to be safe and careful. This reasoning is also required to make optimal, patient-centred decisions afterwards.Commonplace healthcare and training are far from attaining this goal. Inability to correctly diagnose patients is often accompanied by mistakes, wastage, and sometimes allegations of medical malpractice. Some countries...