Hypothesis generation and testing.
From the beginning of the patient care situation
(perhaps as early as looking at a referral slip)
, a hypothesis can be generated, guiding further data collection in order to test the hypothesis.
A patient's chief complaint may be buttock and posterior thigh pain,
resulting in a clinical hypothesis implicating the low back. Further examination,
however, may reveal limited passive motion and reproduction of pain at the end-ranges of hip motion,leading the clinician to place less emphasis on the lumbar spine and more on a thorough hip examination.