What is a Diagnostic Service?
Diagnostic services involve treating or diagnosing a disease or illness a person is having by examining existing problems, reviewing new symptoms, and tracking up on test results that are not in the standard range. Diagnostic services include tests such as ultrasound, radiology, or laboratory tests.
How can a disease be diagnosed?
How disease can be diagnosed depends on what disease the patient is undergoing. Some diseases can be diagnosed by their history by asking questions to the patient about their previous diagnosis or reports, and some by looking at the patient and examining them.
Doctor home visits help doctors examine and evaluate more efficiently as they can view the patient’s surroundings. Since they come home, they can easily access the patient’s previous records. Doctors use this data to prescribe the necessary tests most of the time.
Why do we need a Diagnosis before a treatment?
Diagnosis defines the condition. This means that we need clear definitions for the conditions we treat. We cannot agree on the best way to treat something without first agreeing on it.
As a rule, patients present with symptoms, e.g., dizziness. There is no medicine for dizziness, no surgical treatment, no exercise plan because there is no agreed-upon definition for dizziness. There is many things’ people experience when they claim to feel dizzy, and there are a good number of medical conditions that can cause a person to feel one of these many types of dizziness’. So, before the doctor starts treating the dizziness, they need to establish a diagnosis.
If, for example, the investigation concludes in the diagnosis of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. We know that the patient can treat the condition at home with the Epley manoeuvre. But if the correct diagnosis happens to be Meniere’s disease or vestibular neuronitis, rolling around in bed will do nothing to cure it. Depending on the diagnosis, the tool either works or does not work. That is why it is important to establish a diagnosis instead of just treating the symptoms.
Some Common Diagnostic Tests
Electrocardiogram- In this test, each beat of the patient’s heart is triggered by an electrical impulse generated from special cells in the heart.
Echocardiogram- This test uses sound waves to produce pictures of the heart. The doctor can use these pictures to identify heart-related problems. Including the areas of your heart that are not getting enough blood.
Stress test- Sometimes, angina is easier to diagnose when the heart works harder. A stress test is done by making the patient walk on a treadmill or pedal a stationary bicycle.
X-ray- This test takes images of various structures in the body such as bones, tissues, lungs, and heart. X-rays help diagnose diseases, including lung conditions, blockages, bone conditions, detection of foreign objects, etc.
Ultrasound- An ultrasound scan produces a real-time picture of the inside of the body using sound waves. Ultrasound is generally painless and non-invasive. Is majorly prescribed for pregnant women to examine the baby’s growth.
Blood tests- Blood tests help doctors evaluate how well the organs function and diagnose diseases such as cancer, HIV, heart diseases, diabetes, etc.
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)- In an MRI, the patient is made to lie on a table inside a long tunnel-like machine that produces detailed images of the body’s insides. MRI examines a person’s heart and blood vessels, brain and spinal cord, bones, and joints, breasts, internal organs, liver, womb, prostate gland, etc.
Computerized Tomography (CT) Scan- The patient is made to lie on a table inside a doughnut-shaped machine, where an X-ray tube rotates around the body and creates 3-dimensional images of the body, including the heart, chest, bones, tissues, etc. It helps diagnose and monitor tumours, injuries, abnormal anomalies, etc.
Conclusion:
It is important to note that diagnosis is integral to detecting, treating, producing accurate results, and curing illnesses. Diagnostic tests impact major healthcare decisions, though they rely on a precise interpretation of the test results, judgement, and an expert bent of mind when prescribing the treatment. After diagnosing the illness, home visit doctors in Delhi prescribe the necessary test for the patients need to undergo. This gives them a clear picture of the patient’s body functions and helps them assess the condition more accurately to provide appropriate treatment.
