Up to 1 in 7 medical diagnoses could be wrong

A perspective paper, published in the Medical Journal of Australia, suggests that up to one in seven medical diagnoses could be wrong.

 

Professor Ian Scott of the University of Queensland in Australia, and Associate Professor Carmel Crock, Director of the Emergency Department of the Royal Victorian Ear and Eye Hospital in Melbourne, have based their findings on available US data due to an alleged lack of easily accessible Australian data. 

 

According to Professor Scott, more than eighty per cent of these cases are preventable. 

 

Strategies suggested for prevention are considering a broader range of diagnostic outcomes through lectures, seminars, peer group discussions and interactive videos.

 

Referring to diagnostic checklists before making a diagnosis and evaluating alternative diagnoses are also suggested.

 

According to Dr Scott, reflection on past misdiagnosis should also be part of the process in addition to utilising computer-assisted diagnosis.

 

And finally, and perhaps most significantly, Dr Scott suggests that clinicians should engage with the patients to determine if their diagnosis corresponds with the patient's perception of their illness.