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Problems That Lead to Misdiagnosis

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Submitted By blondiebear
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a. What are some factors inherent in our healthcare system that lead to misdiagnosis errors? From working in a hospital for many years and being a nurse I can attest that one reason people make errors is the fact that the doctors are over worked and lack sleep. They work longer shifts than nurses and have a greater demand on their cognitive abilities. “Medical researchers conclude the majority of diagnostic errors arise from flaws in physician thinking” (Sattinger, 2007). Not saying that being a nurse isn’t hard, we often aide the doctors in the right direction. Another reason for errors is the realm of medication errors. Physicians are in a hurry and we all know the horrible hand writing that 99% of them have. It is a problem when you are not able to read the drug, dose or route of the medication. There is a responsibility of the physician to make sure to order the correct medications for the problem at hand. I am sure we all can recall a time that an error occurred due to transcription. Doctors also have to meet the demands of all the patients that they have to see. So, for them to have very busy schedules and only short times to see patients, they do not always have the time to sit and thoroughly investigate your illness or symptoms. This sounds like I’m pointing the finger all at the physicians but I do not mean to. The “system” as a whole is broken. The insurances not wanting to pay for diagnostics that could find the answer, there not being enough medical personal to care for patients, the demand that people have to know what’s wrong with them now and not wanting to wait. There can also be problems with the tests that are being performed and the tools being used. They could be out of date or not have the most state of the art technology (as that comes at a price). There are so many different factors that can lead to medical errors, not just one or two, and not just placing the blame on the physicians.
b. What are some solutions to these problems? By no means are there easy fixes to the problems at hand. One fix that can lead to decreased medication errors is by having a computerized charting and ordering system. Having the physicians place their own medication orders is a huge factor. Not having to have a clerk or nurse translates and transcribes the medications will and has led to decreased medication errors. Just to let the physicians time to rest and think would be a great benefit. The job is very taxing on all aspects of the body. I know it isn’t a quick fix but to have more physicians available would be helpful, but with that you run into the cost factor for the hospitals or the offices and can they financially afford that? There also needs to be constant education and learning on the physicians part. People are constantly changing and so are our disease states. Knowledge is power and our healthcare providers need to be at the top of their game.

Sattinger, A. (2007, October). Diagnosis Misdiagnosis. Retrieved April 24, 2012, from The Hospitalist: http://www.the-hospitalist.org/details/article/233917/Diagnose_Misdiagnosis.html

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