Abstract

Accuracy of neurological diagnosis in the emergency department

Author(s): Nikil Rajani

Inaccurate diagnosis of neurological presentations in the emergency department is a well characterised problem. Reliable diagnosis is important because it leads to the initiation of appropriate management plans and enables the correct use of increasingly available emergency interventions (e.g. thrombolysis in acute ischaemic stroke). Correctly identifying benign conditions can prevent the patient being exposed to unnecessary and potentially harmful investigations and treatments for more serious problems. Furthermore, neurological diagnoses such as epilepsy can enforce lifestyle limitations and thus it is crucial that such diagnoses are not made erroneously. This paper discusses factors that predispose to incorrect diagnosis and looks at studies that have suggested various ways of improving diagnostic reliability.