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About 20% of patients with serious conditions misdiagnosed

On Behalf of | Dec 4, 2020 | Medical Malpractice

You place a good deal of trust in your Florida doctor, counting on this individual to figure out what is causing your symptoms or discomfort and tell you what you need to do to feel better. Your ability to improve depends on your doctor’s ability to properly diagnose your condition. Research shows that many physicians fail in this area.

According to AARP, a recent study on second medical opinions revealed that medical misdiagnosis is much more common than you might think.

Study findings

The study, which involved 286 patients who had sought out second opinions after receiving serious diagnoses from their family doctors, showed that more than 20% of those patients had their original doctors misdiagnose them. Also concerning is the fact that another 66% of those who sought second opinions had received original diagnoses that were only somewhat correct. Those patients wound up having their diagnoses updated later on. Only 12% of patients who sought out second opinions found that their primary care doctors had given them correct diagnoses.

Misdiagnosis repercussions

Receiving the wrong diagnosis may have a substantial impact on your prognosis. It may also lead to you undergoing invasive and unnecessary medical treatments. This may lead to complications that could impact your health even further. Medical misdiagnosis may also prevent your doctor from referring you to a specialist who might otherwise be able to treat you effectively.

Research shows that medical misdiagnosis is a contributing factor in 10% of all patient deaths. It also plays a role in between about 6% and 17% of all adverse events that occur in U.S. hospitals.

 

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