# Quantitative Analysis of Diagnostic Reasoning Using Initial Electronic Medical Records

## TL;DR

This study shows that early electronic medical records contain clues about how doctors reason through diagnoses, using text analysis and logistic regression.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates that initial electronic medical records can be quantitatively analyzed to reveal diagnostic reasoning patterns.

## Key findings

- Analysis of dizziness cases revealed 48 significant diagnostic terms from 248 records.
- Headache cases showed 46 significant terms from 616 records, with term presence and tone linked to diagnoses.
- Logistic regression confirmed that specific language patterns correlate with diagnostic outcomes.

## Abstract

Background/Objectives: Diagnostic reasoning is essential in clinical practice and medical education, yet it often becomes an automated process, making its cognitive mechanisms less visible. Despite the widespread use of electronic medical records, few studies have quantitatively evaluated how clinicians’ reasoning is documented in real-world electronic medical records. This study aimed to investigate whether initial electronic medical records contain valuable information for diagnostic reasoning and assess the feasibility of using text analysis and logistic regression to make this reasoning process visible. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of initial electronic medical records at Kochi University Hospital between 2008 and 2022. Two patient cohorts presenting with dizziness and headaches were analysed. Text analysis was performed using GiNZA, a Japanese natural language processing library, and logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify associations with final diagnoses. Results: We identified 1277 dizziness cases, of which 248 were analysed, revealing 48 significant diagnostic terms. Moreover, we identified 1904 headache cases, of which 616 were analysed, revealing 46 significant diagnostic terms. The logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the presence of specific terms, as well as whether they were expressed affirmatively or negatively, was significantly associated with diagnostic outcomes. Conclusions: Initial EMRs contain quantifiable linguistic cues relevant to diagnostic reasoning. Even simple analytical methods can reveal reasoning patterns, offering valuable insights for medical education and supporting the development of explainable diagnostic support systems.