Practical Approaches for Studying Sea Turtle Health and Disease
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The initial stages are the same as for health assessment (above), involving
observation, description, and basic data collection, except that in this case there is
a presenting problem, such as stranding or an abnormal finding on routine health
assessment, that triggers the diagnostic investigation to determine what is causing
animals to be sick or to die.
15.3.3.1 Signalment, Presenting Problem, and History
Signalment, presenting problem, and history are the preliminary data upon which
all later data interpretation will rest and may suggest whether, on the basis of the
clinician’s experience, certain findings represent primary or secondary problems.
Signalment is the specific information about the individual patient, including species,
FIGURE 15.1 Outline of the disease investigative process.
Research
- Diagnostics (Improved Tests)
- Etiopathogenesis
Signalment
and History
Problems
List
Modified
Problems
List
Modified
Differentials
List
Additional
Tests
Differential Diagnoses
List
Preliminary
Screening Tests
Specialized
Examinations/
Confirmatory Tests
Physical Examination/
Observations
Diagnosis?
Pathologic/Etiologic
1123 book.book Page 401 Monday, November 11, 2002 11:11 AM