Common Causes of Misdiagnosis
The doctor plays a vital role in monitoring and improving your general health through diagnosis and customized treatment. Unfortunately, several patients have experienced negative outcomes following misdiagnosis by doctors whom they trusted. This piece explores five major reasons for incorrect diagnosis in different healthcare institutions.
Five Common Reasons for Misdiagnosis
Misdiagnosis is mainly attributed to:
Fragmentation of Care
More individuals prefer a visit to a different specialist for each medical concern or treatment. Unfortunately, you may be subjected to different opinions and approaches as each practitioner may have a different explanation for your symptoms. The lack of a single professional to explore your needs from a general point of view may increase your vulnerability to a misdiagnosis.
Inexperience or Overconfidence of Doctors
Practitioners have different areas of specialization, experience, and confidence to handle each case. Overconfidence and inexperience may limit your physician’s ability to recognize various symptoms, read and interpret results. Extensive experience can also make the practitioner more confident, prompting them to rush to conclusions without further tests.
Lack of Diagnostic Testing
In most cases, a physician needs two or more diagnostic tests to derive the accurate conclusion of individual symptoms and health concerns. Some patients are blocked from diagnostic tests as they are underinsured or uninsured. Overconfident and inexperienced doctors may also overlook specific diagnostic tests required to pinpoint the root cause of individual complications.
Spending Minimal Time with Patients
A physician should spend the maximum time with their patient to uncover the root cause of each health concern. Most doctors allocate an average of 10-15 minutes for each appointment instead of allowing each patient more time to discuss specific symptoms, health concerns, test results, and conclusive scrutiny of individual and family medical history.
Lack of Follow Up Care
A doctor should care for their patient from the initial appointment to full recovery. In some cases, patients may see different doctors before full recovery due to avoidable or unavoidable causes. The physician can use follow-up care to monitor recovery and change in symptoms to rule out the possibility of misdiagnosis.
Bottom Line
To avoid misdiagnosis, patients are required to seek a second opinion from a different doctor, ask relevant questions all the way, and be aware of individual and family history to guide the doctor.