7 Million People Are Misdiagnosed , in US ERs Annually, , Government Report Finds.
The report was compiled by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
The agency published its report on Dec. 15.
According to the research, .
... every year, 7.4 million people who go
to an ER in the U.S. are misdiagnosed.
The numbers equate
to six percent of the
130 million people who go
to an ER in the U.S. each year.
In addition, 2.6 million people are
harmed by the misdiagnoses they receive
in a way that is preventable.
Close to 370,000 are either permanently disabled or die due to misdiagnoses.
The data means that 1,400 diagnostic mistakes occur annually at every ER in the U.S.
The research also indicates that similar numbers of diagnostic errors occur in primary and hospital inpatient care.
40 percent of stroke patients who go to the ER reporting vertigo or dizziness are misdiagnosed.
According to the data, the most significant factors leading to misdiagnoses are atypical symptoms.
Women and people of color who go to the ER are
20 to 30 percent more likely to be misdiagnosed than male and white patients