WK4PT2AssgnWilliamsonN.docx

Pattern recognition can be useful for the new advanced practice nurse (APN). According to Heneghan et al., pattern recognition is useful in determining the initial diagnosis hypothesis (2009). They refer to pattern recognition as “spot diagnosis” stating that “spot diagnosis is almost instantaneous, relies on previous non-verbal experience of the condition, and does not require further history from the patient to trigger the possible diagnosis.” They go on to state that the main use of pattern recognition is done by previous experience and frequency of exposure to similar conditions (Heneghan et al., 2009). For a new practitioner, Loveday et al. states that “Pattern-recognition is commonly used by primary care physicians for the diagnosis of common conditions such as urinary tract infection or sinusitis, and is a very efficient style of diagnosis” (2013). It will help to identify those patients that you see all the time, like strep throat, new onset hypertension, or new onset diabetes. Seeing things over and over again can be beneficial for early recognition and treatment. As we will be novices in diagnosing illness, it will be imperative to incorporate additional diagnostic methods to arrive at the correct diagnosis and properly treat the patient. However, pattern recognition, much like Heneghan et al. described, can be the basis for our initial hypotheses. The only issue that I have with “pattern recognition” is ensuring that you are properly assessing your patient every time. Sometimes, patients get put into these little neat boxes and when they don’t fit the norm, they end up having extended periods of time without an accurate diagnosis. For example, one time I had a patient with classic gallstone pains. The problem? He was a 15 year old, athletic, otherwise healthy young man—even labs were normal. This kid had, had an EGD, colonoscopy, MRI, CT, all negative. Finally, I had him in the hospital, he was describing his pain to me, and I inquired about a family history, and asked if we could do an ultrasound. The physician even said, “we must have done an ultrasound”. Turns out it never