Могут ли врачи диагностировать заболевание сразу?

Могут ли врачи поставить диагноз сразу?

Cмогли…

Uly, hi!
А разве не просто «Могли ли…”)?
Or are both versions correct, depending on the context?

AT ONCE in the present would sound abrupt and marginally rude, like немедленно(!). However, in a past scenario, it would simply mean without any delay. I'd be curious to know where Alexandr got this and in what context.

I meant «смогли ли…» or «могли ли…».
Anyway, thanks for your reply concerning “at once”. )

Well, if it’s in the past, and it refers to the one point where they managed to diagnose the illness, wouldn’t it be perfective?

I think both versions are possible because “Могли ли врачи поставить диагноз пациенту сразу?» sounds like a question to students during an exam. But here we don’t know the context.

Or at a lecture.

👍🏼