12 million outpatients nationwide are misdiagnosed every year

[Phurfur 70]

At least 1 in 20 adults is misdiagnosed in outpatient clinics in the U.S. every year, a new study published in the journal BMJ Quality & Safety indicates.

 

The research, which analyzed data from three earlier studies, indicated that the misdiagnosis rate among outpatients - patients who receive treatment without being admitted to a hospital - is approximately 5 percent. When translated to the entire population, the researchers estimate that 1 in 20 adults, or 12 million people nationwide are misdiagnosed every year.

 

We called it a misdiagnosis when there was a definite missed opportunity to make a timelier, correct diagnosis based on information available at that time, Dr. Hardeep Singh, a researcher at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas, told FoxNews.com. We would say, Was that opportunity there? Was evidence there? Was it someone who presented with a red flag for colon cancer, who didnt get a work up?

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/04/17/at-least-1-in-20-outpatients-misdiagnosed-every-year-study-shows/?intcmp=obnetwor

[IGotWorms 3,313]

Is the in patient error rate much lower or something? Would it be feasible and cost effective to have admitted all these people to the hospital instead?

 

I'm not quite understanding what point we should be taking away from this.

[crackattack 513]

So 95 percent of the time it's a proper diagnosis? I'd say that's pretty good.

[kilroy69 994]

my tax guy was diagnosed with M.S. Same thing my dad had for 20 plus years. They put him on drugs for the ms and he never felt any better. He just assumed this was how he was going to feel for the rest of his life and his quality of life would go downhill. Just before they put him on some experimental drug treatment they ran some new tests at a new doc....turns out he had lymes disease. NOT M.S.

[crackattack 513]

my tax guy was diagnosed with M.S. Same thing my dad had for 20 plus years. They put him on drugs for the ms and he never felt any better. He just assumed this was how he was going to feel for the rest of his life and his quality of life would go downhill. Just before they put him on some experimental drug treatment they ran some new tests at a new doc....turns out he had lymes disease. NOT M.S.

 

Misdiagnosis is not a good thing, but it doesn't always equate to horrible thing. Did he live? Did he have any lasting problems due to it? He felt fine during the time he was misdiagnosed. The doctors caught the error and corrected the problem. I would say no harm no foul. Just my opionion though. People forget doctors are human and errors happen.

[kilroy69 994]

No he felt like a zombie during the treatment. He was having such bad problems that is the reason as to why he went to be checked out at a diff doc. In the long run its going to be better for him NOT to have ms of course as lymes is far better than ms.

[JT 137]

Physicians are trained to diagnose from the most likely to the least likely, so a 5% misdiagnosis rate is neither surprising nor alarming.

 

If you go to the MD with shortness of breath, for example, there are a hundred possible causes. The goal in many outpatient settings is to relieve symptoms, which may not have much to do with reaching an actual diagnosis.

 

Seemingly everybody knows somebody who knows somebody who had a misdiagnosis. Unfortunately, people are dopes and take those anecdotal incidents as a sign that doctor's don't or can't do their jobs. Like any profession, there are good and bad.

[IGotWorms 3,313]

Physicians are trained to diagnose from the most likely to the least likely, so a 5% misdiagnosis rate is neither surprising nor alarming.

 

If you go to the MD with shortness of breath, for example, there are a hundred possible causes. The goal in many outpatient settings is to relieve symptoms, which may not have much to do with reaching an actual diagnosis.

 

Seemingly everybody knows somebody who knows somebody who had a misdiagnosis. Unfortunately, people are dopes and take those anecdotal incidents as a sign that doctor's don't or can't do their jobs. Like any profession, there are good and bad.

A lot of it depends upon the patient too to adequately explain their symptoms. Doctors can't get inside your head to determine exactly how you're feeling or what your personal or family medical history is.

[NorthernVike 2,080]

Doctors bury their mistakes.

[MTSkiBum 1,594]

The only shitty doctor I have ever met spent too much time skiing in Vail and not enough time working

[Phurfur 70]

So 95 percent of the time it's a proper diagnosis? I'd say that's pretty good.

By your logic, 94% of Americans had health coverage why was ACA necessary?

[Sho Nuff 719]

A lot of it depends upon the patient too to adequately explain their symptoms. Doctors can't get inside your head to determine exactly how you're feeling or what your personal or family medical history is.

Big part of it for sure. Some will just like to believe its Doc incompetence.

[crackattack 513]

By your logic, 94% of Americans had health coverage why was ACA necessary?

What?? I don't care about the aca. My response was about proper diagnosis. Your link said 5 percent of diagnosis were wrong. So I said 95 percet were right. Not bad with or without the aca.

[crackattack 513]

Insurance companies can handcuff doctors as well. If a patient isn't willing to pay out of pocket and insurance wont cover certain test docs wanna run....then what? Does that help contribute to missed diagnosis?Absolutely it does.

[Phurfur 70]

What?? I don't care about the aca. My response was about proper diagnosis. Your link said 5 percent of diagnosis were wrong. So I said 95 percet were right. Not bad with or without the aca.

But by your logic ACA is not even necessary given the percentage of uninsured it will help.

[crackattack 513]

But by your logic ACA is not even necessary given the percentage of uninsured it will help.

Again..what??? My point is doctors are getting it right 95 percent of the time. Dont care what insurance they have. Thats a different topic all together. Try and follow.

[ZeroTolerance 582]

Don't forget to take into account the not exactly small subset of patients who choose not to be honest and forthcoming about ALL of their symptoms/risk behaviors with the physician.

[penultimatestraw 473]

So 95 percent of the time it's a proper diagnosis? I'd say that's pretty good.

Right. The standard is quite high. But is it high enough?

[penultimatestraw 473]

The only shitty doctor I have ever met spent too much time skiing in Vail and not enough time working

I was thinking the same thing about this incompetent engineer...

[NewbieJr 540]

Again..what??? My point is doctors are getting it right 95 percent of the time. Dont care what insurance they have. Thats a different topic all together. Try and follow.

phurfur speaks only one language- that of the right wing political hack. He will try to shoe horn it into every conversation. He's a one trick pony.

[penultimatestraw 473]

my tax guy was diagnosed with M.S. Same thing my dad had for 20 plus years. They put him on drugs for the ms and he never felt any better. He just assumed this was how he was going to feel for the rest of his life and his quality of life would go downhill. Just before they put him on some experimental drug treatment they ran some new tests at a new doc....turns out he had lymes disease. NOT M.S.

Lyme disease is OVER diagnosed in some parts of the country, and the testing is poorly understood by many clinicians. But if the diagnosis was correct, Lyme is way more treatable than MS.

[penultimatestraw 473]

Physicians are trained to diagnose from the most likely to the least likely, so a 5% misdiagnosis rate is neither surprising nor alarming.

 

If you go to the MD with shortness of breath, for example, there are a hundred possible causes. The goal in many outpatient settings is to relieve symptoms, which may not have much to do with reaching an actual diagnosis.

 

Seemingly everybody knows somebody who knows somebody who had a misdiagnosis. Unfortunately, people are dopes and take those anecdotal incidents as a sign that doctor's don't or can't do their jobs. Like any profession, there are good and bad.

Spot on, as usual. Though there are probably more causes of acute shortness of breath.

[penultimatestraw 473]

Insurance companies can handcuff doctors as well. If a patient isn't willing to pay out of pocket and insurance wont cover certain test docs wanna run....then what? Does that help contribute to missed diagnosis?Absolutely it does.

This guy gets it. Also people manipulate doctors based on what they've read on the internet, for secondary gain, etc. Are these included in the 5%?

[crackattack 513]

Right. The standard is quite high. But is it high enough?

Considering other contributing factors that could cause missed diagnosis, at no fault of the doctor, and being that doctors and medical professional's are human, I'd say so. The medical community will never hit 100 percent error free...ever. Hell a lab tech could fock up and contribute to a missed diagnosis. You know many people are involved with tests, xrays, charting errors happen. Many many things out of a doctors control. Patients not complying/telling all symptoms, insurance companies restricting tests. Lots of hands in the pot. So I'd say 95 percent is pretty good.

[penultimatestraw 473]

Considering other contributing factors that could cause missed diagnosis, at no fault of the doctor, and being that doctors and medical professional's are human, I'd say so. The medical community will never hit 100 percent error free...ever. Hell a lab tech could fock up and contribute to a missed diagnosis. You know many people are involved with tests, xrays, charting errors happen. Many many things out of a doctors control. Patients not complying/telling all symptoms, insurance companies restricting tests. Lots of hands in the pot. So I'd say 95 percent is pretty good.

I agree. What is more pertinent is the rate of malpractice, though this is also skewed as many cases aren't caught.

[crackattack 513]

I agree. What is more pertinent is the rate of malpractice, though this is also skewed as many cases aren't caught.

Malpractice cases are insanely high imo. I worked in the medical field over 20 years and heard more doctors complain about rising malpractice insurance due to frivolous lawsuits. Now I do think some cases of true malpractice are missed, but I'd say as a whole, most are court wasting, time consuming nonsense. Cost of malpractice insurance is crazy high, and couple that with rising tuition costs, and their driving good people away from being doctors. Lot's of issues in medicine in this country.

[penultimatestraw 473]

Malpractice cases are insanely high imo. I worked in the medical field over 20 years and heard more doctors complain about rising malpractice insurance due to frivolous lawsuits. Now I do think some cases of true malpractice are missed, but I'd say as a whole, most are court wasting, time consuming nonsense. Cost of malpractice insurance is crazy high, and couple that with rising tuition costs, and their driving good people away from being doctors. Lot's of issues in medicine in this country.

Agreed on all counts. What I meant to say was cases where malpractice actually occurred, not just accusations of malpractice. That being said, many cases are settled just because it is financially cheaper to do so.

[crackattack 513]

I agree, but!! I think the frivolous ones shouldn't be counted. So with that, I think they even out. It would be great if it never happened, but such is life. Yes some are missed, but silly cases get counted. I feel for true individuals that have been a patient of true malpractice, but the other dumb cases can make a person callous to it all.

[Frank M 181]

Someone needs to get the new guy over here to tell us what he thinks.

[MDC 5,890]

Is the in patient error rate much lower or something? Would it be feasible and cost effective to have admitted all these people to the hospital instead?

 

I'm not quite understanding what point we should be taking away from this.

I think it's one of those general "doctors / scientists are sometimes wrong, therefore experts with years of training are no more qualified than your average layperson" type arguments that teabaggers like so much.

[NewbieJr 540]

Someone needs to get the new guy over here to tell us what he thinks.

I think it's a wonderful thing that the new loonybird sticks to one thread and hasn't expanded to further ruin the rest of the board.

[penultimatestraw 473]

I think it's a wonderful thing that the new loonybird sticks to one thread and hasn't expanded to further ruin the rest of the board.

Yeah, I'm waiting for him to step outside that thread, but I think he's afraid he'll catch AIDS.

[parrot 789]

When translated to the entire population, the researchers estimate that 1 in 20 adults, or 12 million people nationwide are misdiagnosed every year.

 

 

Because every adult goes to a hospital for some kind of diagnosed treatment every year.

[penultimatestraw 473]

 

 

Because every adult goes to a hospital for some kind of diagnosed treatment every year.

I think it's outpatients, but the point is the same: not everybody sees a doctor every year: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/docvisit.htm

 

Ambulatory Care Use and Physician Visits

(Data are for the U.S.)

• Percent of adults who had contact with a health care professional in the past year: 82.1%

Source: Summary Health Statistics for U.S. Adults: National Health Interview Survey, 2012, table 35

• Percent of children who had contact with a health care professional in the past year: 92.8%

Source: Summary Health Statistics for U.S. Children: National Health Interview Survey, 2012, table 12

• Number of visits (to physician offices, hospital outpatient and emergency departments): 1.2 billion

Source: Selected patient and provider characteristics for ambulatory care visits to physician offices and hospital outpatient and emergency departments: United States, 2009-2010

• Number of visits (to physician offices, hospital outpatient and emergency departments) per 100 persons: 408.2

 

Also, many of those are return visits for established problems, so there probably is no opportunity for a new diagnosis to be "missed".

 

Bottom line, the stat in the OP is deceiving.