Skilled diagnostician

The human touch

Katie Hafner | December 15, 2012

Computer programmes offer a backup for doctors facing tricky symptoms, but are still far from replacing a skilled diagnostician. The man on stage had his audience of 600 mesmerised. Over the course of 45 minutes, the tension grew. Finally, the moment of truth arrived, and the room was silent with anticipation. At last he spoke. "Lymphoma with secondary hemophagocytic syndrome, " he said. The crowd erupted in applause. Professionals in every field revere their superstars, and in medicine the best diagnosticians are held in particularly high esteem. Dr Gurpreet Dhaliwal, 39, a self-effacing associate professor of clinical medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, is considered one of the most skilful clinical diagnosticians in practice today. The case Dr Dhaliwal was presented, at a medical conference last year, began with information that could have described hundreds of diseases: the patient had intermittent fevers, joint pain, and weight and appetite loss.