Which scenario describes diagnostic overshadowing?

• A. When a primary diagnosis causes clinicians to attribute new physical symptoms to that condition rather than investigating them properly.
• B. When clinicians ignore patient preferences.
• C. When clinicians fail to document symptoms.
• D. When clinicians rely on family reports exclusively.

Answer: (A)

Diagnostic overshadowing happens when a known condition leads clinicians to attribute new symptoms to that condition instead of exploring other possible causes. In this scenario, the primary diagnosis causes clinicians to assume all new physical symptoms are due to that condition and stop proper investigation. That’s why this option fits best.

The other situations describe different issues: ignoring patient preferences is about autonomy and shared decision-making; failing to document symptoms is a documentation problem; relying on family reports exclusively concerns the source of information rather than misattributing symptoms to a preexisting diagnosis.