How can I model a medical scenario in an entity-relationship diagram?
Consideration about multiple relationships between entities

In real life, Patients and Physicians interact in several ways. The most obvious one is that you go to see your doctor when you're ill (that's one kind of relationship between Patient and Physician). But you, as a Patient, may refer one Physician to a friend of yours (who is also ill, and, as such a Patient), because you liked how it works. This is a ternary relationship involving two Patients (the referer, and the refered) and one Physician.

Non-binary relationships

Not all relationships are between two tables (such as in the previous case). Another instance: a Diagnosis is performed by a Physician to a Patient (and, you could add: at some time, in some place, after x, y and z tests, etc. as attributes to this relationship). Having one ternary relationship is not the same as having two relationships Physician makes Diagnostic and Patient diagnosed Diagnostic. It you ever only visited one doctor, no doubt about who diagnosed. As soon as you visit two doctors... who diagnosed what is much less clear.



This is not answering all your questions, but hope it helps.