Final answer:
Medical professionals may report signs and symptoms when no definitive diagnosis is made, as signs are objective indicators of disease while symptoms are subjective. Syndromes are sets of signs and symptoms that characterize specific diseases. Despite the challenge of similar presentations, documentation of signs and symptoms aids in continuing diagnostics.
Step-by-step explanation:
When no definitive diagnosis is made and there are two differential diagnoses, medical professionals can report signs and symptoms. In the context of clinical practice, signs refer to objective evidence of a disease, such as a rash or an abnormal lab result, that can be observed and measured by others. Symptoms, on the other hand, are subjective feelings or experiences reported by the patient, like nausea or pain, which are not as easily confirmed and require qualitative measurement tools like the Wong-Baker Faces pain-rating scale or skin conductance fluctuations.
A specific set of signs and symptoms that are characteristic of a particular disease is known as a syndrome. However, many conditions can present with similar signs and symptoms, which can make diagnosis challenging. When definitive diagnosis isn’t possible, clinicians may still document the presenting signs and symptoms while continuing to run diagnostic tests to clarify the condition.