Medical decision making : an international journal of the Society for Medical Decision Making
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To investigate diagnostic accuracy in patient histories involving nonspecific complaints and the extent to which characteristics of physicians and structural properties of patient histories are associated with accuracy. ⋯ Average diagnostic accuracy in cases with nonspecific complaints far exceeds chance performance, and accuracy varies with medical specialty. Analyzing cue properties in patient histories can help shed light on determinants of diagnostic performance and thus suggest ways to enhance physicians' ability to accurately diagnose cases with nonspecific complaints.