Impression Versus Problem in Making a Diagnosis

To make a diagnosis, hypotheses should be formulated and then tested. The hypothesis in clinical reasoning, which has been referred to as an “impression”, must be confirmed through confirmatory tests. In the era of evidence-based medicine, sufficient data has been collected and is available. More evident hypotheses can be formulated and then explicitly presented as “problems.” Whereas an impression indicates a tentative diagnosis, the problem encompasses any health condition, including symptoms, physical signs, laboratory findings, syndromes, and diseases.