Symptoms, Signs and Clinical Problems: A tool for differential diagnosis

When using this tool it is important to note the following:

• The presenting symptoms and signs may be caused by illnesses common in Canada.   For example, fever may be caused by otitis media and upper respiratory infection; abdominal pain by appendicitis or urinary tract infection, etc.  This tool is intended to help you expand the differential diagnoses, where appropriate, to include infections and other diseases that may be related to travel history, country of origin, or ethnic background.  For example, those who have been in tropical countries may have infections such as malaria, tuberculosis (TB), or Chagas' disease. Those of African descent may have sickle cell disease, or beta-thalassemia, etc.
• Your search results will not be all-inclusive lists, but will include some important possibilities.
• Check to see if the disease is plausible, considering country of origin or travel history. The search options do not include the country of origin of the patient as epidemiological data can change quickly, and often do not align well with political boundaries. Geographic information is included in the search results, and a link to detailed information is provided for each condition listed. Consider not only the original country of the new immigrant or refugee but any other countries or regions visited on the travel to Canada or while visiting friends and relatives abroad.
• Results are organized by (1) Do not miss! (2) More common diseases to consider. (3) Less common diseases to consider.  Within each of these categories, results are listed by type (e.g. viral, bacterial, parasitic, non-infectious), then in alphabetical order. 
• You can create a shortlist. As you review your list of results, you can select likely possibilities by checking the box to the left of the disease name. Click the button below to create a ‘shortlist’ of items selected. You can print your shortlist or copy/paste it into your EMR system to keep a record of what you’ve investigated, what has been ruled out, and what’s next on the list to consider.