Zebra (medicine)

Zebra in medicine is when a doctor sees something unusual or unexpected in a patient's medical records. The phrase comes from the fact that zebras in nature are black and white stripes and they stand out from other animals. In medicine, a zebra is something that looks unusual and might not be expected. Doctors use the term zebra to mean that they should think carefully and look more closely at a patient's records, as something unusual might be causing the patient's symptoms.