Diagnostic Skills You Must Know For NEET SS

Diagnostic skills enable a medical professional to identify a particular problem and define it. These skills are acquired through formal training, practise, and experimentation. Getting the right diagnosis is a key aspect of health care, as it provides an explanation of a patient's health problem and informs them about subsequent health care decisions.

Since diagnostic errors can lead to negative health outcomes, psychological distress, and financial costs, a medical professional needs to possess accurate diagnostic knowledge that will improve the effectiveness of treatments to avoid long-term complications for the patient.

As per the current format of the NEET SS exam which is computer-based, there isn’t any significant change in the exam pattern. However, medical graduates or MD/MS aspirants frequently come across questions that are based on various diagnostic tests and protocols. So, a NEET SS aspirant needs to be aware of the kind of questions that are usually asked in the exam.

With the addition of image-based questions, the focus of the NEET SS exam is not only on clinical cases but also on general questions. Given below are some diagnostic skills and questions that you must know not just from your NEET SS exam point of view but also as a medical professional. Also, do not leave any stone unturned before your NEET SS exam - Here are some NEET SS preparation tips to help you kick start your preparation.

The Diagnostic Process

Steps to Diagnosis

Arriving at a diagnosis is often complex, and involves multiple steps:

• Taking an appropriate history of symptoms and collecting relevant data.
• Physical examination.
• Generating a provisional and differential diagnosis.
• Testing (ordering, reviewing, and acting on test results).
• Reaching a final diagnosis.
• Consultation (referral to seek clarification if indicated).
• Providing discharge instructions, monitoring, and follow-up.
• Documenting these steps and the rationale for decisions made.
  
  As a NEET SS Aspirant, you need to be well versed with the Diagnostic skills mentioned below:
  
• You must know “when to order for what investigation”. For eg, CT Head in case of Head Injury.
• What is the investigation of choice in a particular disease? For eg, Say SAH.
• Which procedure is contraindicated. For eg, In the case of a Biopsy.
• When to start IV antibiotics. For eg, In Bacterial Endocarditis.
• When to admit a patient to NIU, Pediatrics.
• When to admit a patient in  Burns Ward (Emergency)
• When to administer an antidote in case of any poisonings.
  
  Some Important Diagnostic Procedures you must know for NEET SS Exam
  
• Endoscopy
• Exploratory Laparotomy
• Abdominal CT scan
• Administer Bethanechol
• Analgesics and rest
• Angiogram
• Antibiotic active against Streptococci and Staphylococci
• Drainage, the culture of the drained exudate and treatment depending on the findings of the culture
• Upright abdominal ray
• Emergency Laparotomy
• Endoscopy
• Focused assessment of sonography
• Antifungal treatment
• Arterial blood gas analysis
• Chest X-ray
• Diagnostic Peritoneal Lavage
• Perform a CT scan
• Contrast study of the oesophagus
• Barium Enema under Fluoroscopic control
• Barium swallows
• Biopsy
• Biopsy for culture and treatment
• Gentile traction
• Induction of general anesthesia for operative reduction of fractures
• IV fluids and dopamine
• Laparoscopy
• Laparotomy
• Nasogastric suction and IV fluids
• Needle Thoracostomy
• Octreotide
• Pelvic Ultrasound
• Toracocentesis
• MRI CT contrasting features
• SPECT
• Spiral CT

As a NEET SS aspirant, you cannot underestimate these diagnostic procedures or the questions based on the topics mentioned above. So, make sure to be through with all these procedures. Make sure to not just have the theoretical knowledge of the procedures but also their practical application.  For more info visit: https://www.prepladder.com/courses/ss