New Report Addresses Frequency of Diagnostic Errors

 Posted on December 00,0000 in Medical Malpractice

According to a recent report from the same organization that put together the groundbreaking 1999 “To Err is Human” report, most people will deal with at least one medical diagnostic error in their lifetime– errors which can prove to be dangerous, if not fatal. These errors include either a late diagnosis or one which is totally incorrect.

The report, titled “Improving Diagnosis in Health Care,” was organized by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (IOM).

In preparing the report, researchers determined that there are approximately 12 million patients who receive an incorrect or late diagnosis each year. The report also found that the number of these errors will probably increase due to the processes that are currently in place throughout the healthcare system.

Some of the other findings of the report include:

• There is limited feedback provided to doctors when they make an error. In fact, the report found that in many cases, the doctor is not even informed that he or she has made an error;
• Errors will continue because of the refusal of the medical community to be transparent when addressing these errors. Instead, the stance appears to be limited disclosure;
• Although there were several reasons cited as the cause of diagnostic errors, including lack of collaboration between the patient, their family, and doctor, one of the most frequent reasons for these errors appears to be that many doctors are still having difficulties with the electronic medical systems that many facilities now utilize. Ironically, these systems were created in an attempt to decrease these errors, but seem to be having the opposite effect.

In addition to the two reports mentioned above, the IOM has previously released several other reports which highlight the critical need for improvements in the healthcare system. These other reports include “Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century” and “Preventing Medication Errors.”

If you have been the victim of a diagnostic error, contact an experienced Orland Park medical malpractice attorney to find out what legal recourse you may have against the physician who made the error.

Sources:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150922115825.htm

http://www.nap.edu/read/21794/chapter/1#iii