DX stands for which term in diagnostic terminology?

• A. Diagnostics
• B. Diagnosis
• C. Diagnostic test
• D. Diagnostic code

Answer: (B)

DX stands for diagnosis. It’s the final conclusion about what illness or condition best explains a patient’s signs, symptoms, and test results after evaluation. That’s different from diagnostics, which refers to the process or tools used to find out the condition; a diagnostic test, which is a test used to help determine the diagnosis; or a diagnostic code, which is the classification code used for billing and records. In notes you’ll often see DX written as the label for the patient’s current condition, like “DX: pneumonia,” reflecting the identified diagnosis.