Hickam's dictum

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Hickam's dictum is a principle in medicine that states a patient can have as many diagnoses as necessary to fully explain all the symptoms they are experiencing. It is named after Dr. John Hickam, a former chairman of the Department of Medicine at Indiana University.

Pronunciation

Hickam's dictum is pronounced as "Hick-um's dictum".

Etymology

The term is named after Dr. John Hickam, who was a strong advocate for the principle that a patient may have multiple conditions contributing to their symptoms, rather than a single disease.

Related Terms

  • Occam's Razor: A principle from philosophy that suggests the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. In medicine, this is often interpreted as a preference for a single unifying diagnosis rather than multiple co-existing conditions. Hickam's dictum is seen as a counterpoint to this principle.
  • Differential Diagnosis: The process of distinguishing a particular disease or condition from others that present with similar clinical features.
  • Comorbidity: The presence of one or more additional conditions co-occurring with a primary condition.

See Also

References

  • Hickam JB. The complexity of diagnosis. Trans Stud Coll Physicians Phila. 1960;28:41-50.

External links

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