"Cejas was a victim of what Alexandra Sifferlin, in her new book The Elusive Body: Patients, Doctors, and the Diagnosis Crisis, calls "multiple kinds of diagnostic error-both incorrect and delayed." These types of errors are surprisingly common; an estimated 5 percent of Americans-about 13 million people-experience a diagnostic error each year."
"Diagnosis is, as Sifferlin writes, "the most important piece of medical information a person can receive." In light of this, the health-care system's failure to seriously investigate diagnostic error-which can include a wide range of mistakes-is both mystifying and dismaying."
"In 2015, a landmark report from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine found that most people will be incorrectly diagnosed at least once in their lifetime. The report was intended to catalyze reform, much as a groundbreaking 1999 analysis of medical errors led health-care institutions to reduce mistakes in areas such as surgery."
Diana Cejas, a medical student, discovered a cancerous lump in her neck after being misdiagnosed multiple times. Despite her medical training, she faced delays in receiving an accurate diagnosis. Alexandra Sifferlin's book highlights the prevalence of diagnostic errors, estimating that 13 million Americans experience them each year. A 2023 study revealed that misdiagnosis results in over three-quarters of a million deaths or permanent disabilities annually. The healthcare system's failure to address these errors remains a significant concern, despite previous reports calling for reform.
Read at The Atlantic
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