Misdiagnosis
A misdiagnosis is usually understood to mean a diagnosis made by the doctor or the patient himself, but which does not correspond to the actual disease. It comes about on the basis of incorrectly interpreted symptoms of the disease and the data collected from the patient or the neglect of medical care .
In the real sense, however, a misdiagnosis is not a term that is specific to the medical field , but can occur in any field of activity in which the condition of an object is to be classified.
Situation in the USA
181 claims for damages concerning outpatient misdiagnosis in the USA were evaluated. 59% led to serious consequences, 30% to death. A combination of around three different errors was usually identified as the cause. At least 2 doctors were involved in 43%. In 55% of the cases no suitable test was ordered, in 17% it was ordered but not carried out, in 45% no follow-up appointment was made, in 26% no referral was made and in 42% no adequate medical history or physical examination was carried out. In 22% of the cases, the patients were blamed for poor cooperation , in 15% there were “ atypical constellations ” and in 10% the anamnesis was “complicated”.
Situation in Germany
The Institute for Pathology, Bacteriology and Serology in Görlitz examined all those who died in the city within a year. In 37 percent of the cases, the autopsy showed a different finding than the previous investigation.
Investigations at Kiel University Hospital on one hundred deceased persons from 1959 and ten years later each showed a similarly high error rate. Although all investigated cases had died in the hospital, 22 percent of the heart attacks were undetected, 28 percent of the tumor diseases , 48 percent of the existing inflammations and 60 percent of the pulmonary embolisms .
In 2010, the medical profession's expert bodies found incorrect diagnoses or treatments in 2,199 patients, as a result of which 87 patients died.
Since the treatment contract between patient and doctor is a service contract (and not a contract for work and services ), a fee corresponding to the service provided is due even in the event of a misdiagnosis.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Quoted from "How do wrong diagnoses come about?", MMW-Fortschr. Med. No. 51-52 / 2006 (148th year), p. 22 after Ann. Int. Med. 145 (2006) 488-496
- ↑ a b Jörg Blech: Speechless in the office hours in: Der Spiegel v. February 14, 2011, p. 120
- ↑ Thousands of patients are victims of medical errors. fnp.de, June 21, 2011, archived from the original on September 13, 2016 ; accessed on October 14, 2019 .