Medical misdiagnoses cause 795,000 American deaths or permanent disabilities each year, according to a recent study published in the British Medical Journal. But some medical experts are questioning the legitimacy of the data used in the paper, critiquing the methodology and definition of “diagnostic error.” The debate highlights the challenges of accurately capturing the prevalence of missed or wrong diagnoses.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute Center for Diagnostic Excellence analyzed retrospective data on the top causes of death in the United States, including heart disease, infections, and cancer. They found just 15 diseases account for about half of all severe medical misdiagnoses, suggesting the problem may be more manageable than previously thought….