Greininga

Greininga is the genitive singular form of the Icelandic noun greining, which means diagnosis. In medical contexts, greining refers to the process of determining what illness or condition best explains a patient’s signs, symptoms, and test results. The root verb greina means to examine or analyze, and greining denotes the resulting conclusion about a patient’s health.

Diagnosis typically involves a structured approach that may include gathering patient history, performing a physical examination, and ordering or interpreting diagnostic tests such as laboratory work, imaging, or other procedures. Clinicians may establish a provisional diagnosis during evaluation and revise it as new information becomes available. The concept also encompasses differential diagnosis, the systematic consideration of multiple potential causes before arriving at a final conclusion.

Greining is used not only in medicine but also in other fields where problem-solving and classification are essential, such as psychology, education, and forensics. In modern practice, diagnostic work is increasingly guided by evidence-based methods, standardized criteria, and multidisciplinary collaboration to improve accuracy and patient outcomes. However, uncertainty can remain, and physicians may communicate probabilities, provisional diagnoses, or ongoing assessment plans when a definitive greining has not yet been established.

See also: diagnosis, medical diagnosis, differential diagnosis.