The errors kill as many as 98,000 people per year
Millions of Americans are misdiagnosed by doctors every year, and the mistakes have sometimes led to dire consequences, a new study has revealed.
One in 20, or 12million, people have been shown to receive the wrong diagnosis at outpatient facilities across the U.S. These errors kill almost 100,000 people per year, according to a separate study.
‘The harm from misdiagnosis occurs when the correct treatment is delayed or when you get an inappropriate treatment or test,’ Hardeep Singh, author of the study published in BMJ Quality and Safety journal, told Vox.
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‘What we say is, was there a missed opportunity? Was there some kind of a red flag?’ He said to NBC News.
Researchers analyzed the findings of three previous surveys that sought to quantify the results of diagnosis and follow up visits to come to their conclusion.
One of the studies quantified the rates of misdiagnosis from primary care physicians, and the other two examined the rates of colorectal and lung cancer screenings and diagnoses, according to CBS News.
‘Although it is unknown how many patients will be harmed from diagnostic errors, our previous work suggests that about one-half of diagnostic errors have the potential to lead to severe harm,’ the study authors wrote.
Another survey cited by Hardeep’s team found misdiagnosis rates to be as high as 10 per cent, but he explained to Vox that this is only further proof of the problem faced by American patients.
A separate study found that about 98,000 people die each year from the wrong medical diagnosis.
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‘We’ve had this problem for a while,’ he told the site. ‘We just haven’t been able to measure it.’
Erika Hanson Brown, 70, was initially failed by her doctors when she had Stage 3C colorectal cancer 12 years ago.
‘It doesn’t surprise me. It horrifies me,’ she told NBC News. ‘When the doctor says ‘Oh, you’re fine,’ you believe him.’
Brown survived her bout with cancer and is now an advocate for colorectal cancer survivors.
Singh believes that both doctors and patients are to blame for the errors.
Some doctors may not be well-versed in the condition for which the patient is seeking treatment, but the patient may also not be able to effectively communicate their ailments, he argued in the study.
Paper records, instead of digital ones with full family medical histories, also hinder proper diagnoses, Singh told Vox.
Following up with doctors is also recommended by Singh as a way to cut down potential life threatening errors.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2606925/As-12million-Americans-receive-wrong-medical-diagnosis-year.html#ixzz2zBaUDvIl
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