Diagnostic Communication and the Care That Follows: A Critical Narrative Review

Description

Theodoros Xanthos reviews how telling a patient a diagnosis shapes what happens next, in this 2026 paper. A correct diagnosis does not guarantee the patient grasps it or gets the right follow-up care. Xanthos sorts the evidence on labels, explanations of test results, the nocebo effect, and what happens when a diagnosis is later revised.

Experiments show that wording alone can shift how severe an illness feels and what treatment people say they want, though often in made-up settings. Warnings about side effects can themselves breed symptoms, a mechanism the review is careful not to pin on any one patient. Follow-up studies expose a plainer failure: correct or revised findings often never reach the care that follows. Xanthos urges judging communication by understanding and completed care, not symptom relief alone.

Catalog record

Source: https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13663910