Colorectal cancer, lung cancer and breast cancer are the three most frequently missed diagnoses in outpatient clinics and academic medical centers, a recent study published in JAMA Network Open found. Heart attack and prostate cancer round out the top five.
Combing through data from patient safety incident reports, malpractice claims, morbidity and mortality rounds (conferences that review patient deaths and complications), and focus group responses, researchers found 836 relevant diagnostic errors, which they used to identify the 10 most common missed or delayed diagnoses and explore what went wrong in the process. The findings highlight what experts say is a key safety issue in modern medical care.
“Missed diagnoses are common, and they’re often overlooked,” says study coauthor Gordon Schiff, M.D., associate director of Brigham and Women’s Center for Patient Safety Research and Practice and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
To learn about the 10 most common missed or delay diagnoses, why they occur and how you can help prevent misdiagnosis, from AARP, CLICK HERE.
