When a person studies a university degree, whether they like it or not, their way of thinking is affected, molded to a certain way of thinking based on the area in which they have become professional.
It happens to me with some frequency that when I meet a person, and they don't know that I'm a doctor, which is wonderful because once they know everything changes, they will even limit themselves to talking about some specific topics because they could feeling a bit self-conscious. But when I meet them, that I see some special coloration in their skin, or in their eyes, or some particular movement of the hand, or some limitation in mobility, a tic, something that the person has already got used to living with, I usually start thinking about possible diagnoses, it's inevitable.
At that precise moment, just like when I am in a consultation with a patient, hundreds of thoughts go through my mind, and I know that the same thing happens in any person who exercises a certain profession. And I would like in this publication to talk a little about the scientific method commented on a way of thinking, that which is not seen but happens.
This post arose as a result of some reflections he had from reading the posts of the user 
Academic training always fills you with a lot of information, in the case of the doctor I can tell you that the training is given in the first stage by the following:
- Histology: study of all the cells of the organism, in addition to the tissues that compose us.
- Anatomy: Study of the organs of each organic system (respiratory, cardiovascular, muscular, etc).
- Biochemistry: (one of my favorites) the interaction of each of the molecules in our body, function of enzymes, how energy is produced and how it is used, among many other things.
- Physiology: how our body works from the molecular to the systemic, here you learn everything normal about the functioning of the body.
Then comes everything abnormal, that is:
Physiopathology, then pathology, study of specific diseases in detail by clinic (pediatrics, internal medicine, obstetrics, surgery), semiology (study of signs and symptoms).
Much more, such as pharmacology, epidemiology, statistics, in short, a lot of knowledge that is acquired over the course of 6 years of study, plus the practical part, obviously. With all this knowledge in mind, the thought is molded to start looking for what is failing and how to solve it.
To give an example of what happens in the mind of a doctor when he is with a patient, I will give an example, a clinical case, in which I will be able to string together everything that is discarded:
A patient arrives for consultation, passes and goes to the chair.
- At that moment the doctor's mind is already activated, he is analyzing the way of walking, if there is any ailment when walking, if there is tremor, if it goes to one side or the other, he begins to look for some signs before let him say it
The patient sits down, and the next question could be What has brought you here? or How can I help you?. And in this way he begins to state what he feels, the consultation will pass with some specific questions based on what he tells me, but they are always questions that are the product of a quick analysis of what the patient is saying, which is like a kind of discovery which is happening little by little.
But, to be specific about how a doctor's thinking is structured after having precise information about the patient, suppose that she has told us:
"Doctor, for several days I have been experiencing pain in my lower back and the pain radiates to my left leg, to the point that it makes it difficult for me to walk."
Lower back pain can be due to several causes, given that in that area we have muscles, also kidneys, and a number of nerves, I must start by ruling out the most superficial to the deepest.
So I will ask the patient to sit in a way that allows me to see her lower back to analyze whether there are changes in color or not, to touch the area and see if there are changes in temperature, or if there is muscle tension of some kind. explain what you feel.
Once this is ruled out, it is necessary to move on to another stage, and that is to focus on ruling out if there is any kidney problem (calculi, infection, inflammation) so all the laboratory tests that need to be done will go through your mind, and even image.
It will also be necessary to assess nerve function to rule out nerve compression in the lumbar spine. You have to make sure that you have not lifted a lot of weight, or have not fallen, things that could cause these symptoms.
In this way, differential diagnosis is made, in which both physical examination and laboratory and imaging studies are used; obviously, it can be both an injury to the lumbar spine and kidney stones, one thing does not exempt the other.
I do not want to make this explanation much longer, but I hope that the people who read this post will have a much clearer understanding of all the systematization that exists in the thinking of a health professional when he assumes caring for a patient. And these diagnostic processes can be delayed depending on the time it takes to carry out the tests.
It is a fairly complex process in which many factors interact to be able to determine something, to have a result, and obviously, then comes the process of selecting an appropriate treatment, which must be personalized many times considering whether or not the person is allergic to the first line of treatment, or if you have any other medical condition that limits the use of a particular drug.
As you can see from this writing, the scientific method is always present, because it is a rational process, in which, starting from a basic knowledge, it is intended to reach a result (diagnosis).
I say goodbye, giving thanks in advance for the support.
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