You Keep Using the Word “Diagnosis.” I Do Not Think It Means What You Think It Means.

 

What do you picture in your head when you hear the term "diagnosis" or "diagnostic testing”? Most people imagine a test revealing, for the first time, the answer to a confusing set of symptoms. But diagnosis is better thought of not as a one-time event, but as an iterative, continuous process by which information is gathered and incorporated into medical decisions. In other words, it's less about individual test results and more about how we process and integrate those results. This becomes even more critical as we enter the artificial intelligence (AI) era, where software algorithms play a growing role in diagnosis. This presentation will take a critical look at the relationship between medical science and diagnostic testing, and how we can preserve that linkage in the setting of complex diagnostic algorithms.

Originally presented on September 26, 2024, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Lecture Presenter

Brian R. Jackson, MD, MS

Brian R. Jackson, MD, MS

Adjunct Professor of Pathology and Biomedical Informatics
University of Utah School of Medicine
Medical Director, Business Development
ARUP Laboratories

Dr. Brian Jackson is the medical director of business development and is the executive editor of ARUP Consult at ARUP Laboratories. He is also an adjunct professor of pathology and biomedical informatics at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Dr. Jackson received a master’s degree in medical informatics and a medical degree from the University of Utah. He completed a clinical pathology residency at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and was a National Library of Medicine Informatics fellow at the University of Utah. Dr. Jackson is certified in clinical pathology by the American Board of Pathology and is a member of the American Medical Informatics Association and a fellow of the College of American Pathologists. His research interests include economic analysis of diagnostic testing, physician utilization of laboratory tests, and corporate social responsibility in healthcare.

Objectives

After this presentation, participants will be able to:

  • Describe the role of diagnostic testing in modern medicine
  • Describe how disease definitions evolve based on advances in both scientific understanding and testing technology
  • Explain how diagnostic heuristics and algorithms can mislead and cause patient harm
  • Describe some of the risks in relying on AI in medical diagnosis

Sponsored by:

University of Utah School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, and ARUP Laboratories