After you read about this you might want to look for a second opinion when you have a health condition. A new research shows that most of the time, the first medical diagnosis might be incomplete or even wrong. This study was conducted by the Mayo Clinic.
- 66% of cases are diagnosed incompletely.
- Medical errors are among the leading causes of death.
- Researchers focused on complex diseases.
- Doctors recommend people to look for a second opinion.
Doctors from the Mayo Clinic observed that in 21% of the cases the second diagnosis of a medical condition was totally different from the first diagnosis. In over 66% of the cases, the second diagnosis was completed or refined. This shows that people should look for more opinions before they choose a treatment.
When the researchers conducted their study they focused on complex diseases that are hard to diagnose. They did not count the conditions that are straightforward. For these cases even the first medical diagnosis was right.
Due to the fact that these cases are harder to diagnose, people need to go to different doctors in order to get the right diagnosis. There are numerous studies that show that the first opinion is not always the best. A second opinion is a safer way to go when you have a severe health problem.
Diseases Difficult To Diagnose
In order to conduct this study, experts focused on complex diseases. They examined more than 280 cases between 2009 and 2010. Researchers observed that most of these complex cases need to be examined by at least 2 doctors before the diagnosis was given. The findings of this research were published in the Journal Of Evaluation in Clinical Practice.
Previous studies also showed that the rate of wrong diagnoses is higher during the first medical check-up. During this new study, scientists observed that most people don’t look for a second opinion and this can be dangerous for them.
Wrong Diagnosis: Higher Risk of Death
Most of the patients who did not look for a second medical opinion did so because of the expenses. Researchers mentioned that going to a second doctor might be more expensive but it can prevent them from spending money on the wrong treatment.
Wrong or incomplete diagnoses do more harm than good. People will receive the wrong medication and therefore the disease will continue to affect the patient. Previous studies show that medical errors are the third leading cause of death.When people receive a wrong diagnosis they have a higher risk of dying.
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