Praise for How to Get the Right Diagnosis
“If you, or one of your loved ones, has a complex, chronic illness, you need to read this book. You are not alone if you fear your medical problems are misunderstood. This book, written by an analyst of the highest caliber, Randolph Pherson, teaches you how to take charge of your own healthcare in an organized, structured way. As a physician, I am happy to give my strong endorsement to Mr. Pherson’s advice that you need a doctor who will spend time with you and will look for root causes of symptoms. Follow Pherson’s advice: if both the doctor and the patient ask a lot of questions to get a complete picture, then, chances are, you will discover the true diagnosis.”
—Dr. Jeanne Shiffman, Well Being–Being Well, Integrative and Family Medicine
“Mr. Pherson deftly applies his decades of experience practicing, developing, and teaching the art of intelligence to the life and death issue of accurate medical diagnoses. He goes beyond the message that patients must advocate for their health to provide a practical roadmap for partnering with medical professionals to solve non-obvious medical challenges. His book is a must read for medical professionals to ensure they are challenging their assumptions and considering alternative scenarios. But more importantly, it is a must read for anyone facing a seemingly undiagnosable, but potentially life-threatening medical issue.”
—Fran Moore, former Director of Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency
“Doctors want to be thought of as all-knowing, but they cannot be all-knowing, since the screening testing they prescribe often leaves a large level of doubt. Physicians should offer more information to the patient specific to that level of doubt, but often, they do not take the time to explain “false normals” that can occur at rates as high as 20 percent. Randy’s story is a great example of why all of us, as patients, need to demand full disclosure on all medical testing and insist on clear answers about tests that are not perfect.”
—Doug Boyink, MD, Fellow, American College of Emergency Physicians
“Randolph Pherson’s distinguished career as a senior intelligence officer and author has had a significant impact internationally on the professionalisation of analysts working in national security and law enforcement. This time, he applies, in a novel and personal way, the critical thinking and tradecraft knowledge he has gained in the intelligence world to improving the diagnostic skills of the medical profession. The book is a must read for an increasingly time-starved and hyper-specialised medical profession and a useful resource for patients seeking better health advocacy with their doctors.”
—Patrick F. Walsh, Associate Professor, Charles Sturt University, Australia
How to Get the Right Diagnosis
Also by Randolph H. Pherson
Structured Analytic Techniques for Intelligence Analysis, 3rd ed., Randolph H. Pherson and Richards J. Heuer, Jr., Washington DC, CQ Press/SAGE Publications, 2021.
Critical Thinking for Strategic Intelligence, 2nd ed., Katherine Hibbs Pherson and Randolph H. Pherson. Washington, DC: CQ Press/SAGE Publications, 2017.
Cases in Intelligence Analysis: Structured Analytic Techniques in Action, 2nd ed., Sarah Miller Beebe and Randolph H. Pherson. Washington, DC: CQ Press/SAGE Publications, 2015.
Handbook of Analytic Tools and Techniques, 5th ed., Randolph H. Pherson. Tysons, VA: Pherson Associates, 2019.
Analyst’s Guide to Indicators, Randolph H. Pherson and John Pyrik. Tysons, VA: Pherson Associates, 2018.
Analytic Briefing Guide, Randolph H. Pherson, Walter Voskian, and Roy A. Sullivan, Jr. Reston, VA: Pherson Associates, 2018.
Analytic Production Guide, Walter Voskian and Randolph H. Pherson. Reston, VA: Pherson Associates, 2016.
Analytic Writing Guide, Louis Kaiser and Randolph H. Pherson. Reston, VA: Pherson Associates, 2014.
Intelligence Communication in the Digital Era: Transforming Security, Defence and Business, Rubén Arcos and Randolph H. Pherson, editors. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015.
Rethinking Intelligence: Richards J. Heuer, Jr.’s Life of Public Service, Richards J. Heuer Jr., Randolph H. Pherson, editor. Tysons, VA: Pherson Associates, 2018.
To order any of these publications, go to:
shop.globalytica.com/collections/publications
How to Get the Right Diagnosis
16 Tips for Navigating the Medical System
Randolph H. Pherson
Mango Publishing
Coral Gables
Copyright © 2020 Randolph H. Pherson
Published by Mango Publishing, a division of Mango Media Inc.
Editor: Freesia McKee
Cover Design: Adriana Gonzalez
Layout and Interior Design: Jermaine Lau
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How to Get the Right Diagnosis: 16 Tips for Navigating the
Medical System
Library of Congress Cataloging
ISBN: (p) 978-1-64250-176-6 (e) 978-1-64250-177-3
BISAC: MED074000, MEDICAL / Physician & Patient
LCCN: 2019948634
Printed in the United States of America
To those in the “5 percent club” who died not knowing they were members.
Table of Contents