Diagnostic errors are diagnosis that are delayed, wrong or missed altogether with fake or wrong results on the part of a doctor or laboratory scientists.
According to World Health Organization, diagnostic errors had led to patient harm and it is the fourteenth leading cause of the global disease burden, cause of morbidity and mortality across the world comparable to diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria.
It is estimated that there are four hundred and twenty one million hospitalizations in the world annually, and approximately forty two point seven million adverse events occur in patients during these period.
W.H.O says that there is a one in three hundred chance of a patient being harmed during health care.
According to report one-third of death cases or permanent disability began with an errant or delayed diagnosis, making it the biggest cause of serious harms among medical errors.
Diagnostic errors that led to death or permanent disability were linked with misdiagnosed cancers, vascular events and infections while half of the most severe harm cases ended in patient’s death and the other half resulted in permanent disability while failures of clinical judgment caused more than eighty five percent of the misdiagnosed cases.
Furthermore, report shows that misdiagnosis in treatments of cardiovascular events, cancers and infections comprise seventy four percent of all serious harms from diagnostic errors as well as thirty four percent of malpractice cases for death or permanent disability began with an errant or delayed diagnosis, making it the biggest cause or serious harms among medical errors.
It is stating the obvious that diagnostic errors, from missed diagnoses to misdiagnoses, are becoming rampant in Nigeria as numbers of people affected are increasing daily which has led to death of many or left them with a permanent injury.
Though, the list is endless but that of the wife of former APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomole, Mrs Clara who was wrongly diagnosed of breast cancer that eventually claimed her life on December 7, 2010.
Also, the case of late human rights activists, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN, was diagnosed with pneumonia and was undergoing treatment, but by the time his case got critical and he was flown abroad, correct diagnosis showed that he had cancer at that point, it was too late, as the cancer had reached an advanced stage and he died of the ailment.
Some medical experts suggested that provision of quality diagnostic test reports in the least turnaround time (tat) will enable doctors to improve patient’s treatment and safety, noting that about forty to fifty percent of samples are sent outside of Nigeria for testing which increases the tats and leads to delay in treatment for Nigerians.
They noted that these samples sent to countries like India, South Africa, United kingdom, America and Europe led to delay of the results needed for diagnosis of patients as the turnaround time of results, which comes from any of these countries take about seven, ten and sometimes 30 days for some of the tests report to come out which might be late for treatment.
While some medical laboratory scientists have blamed the increasing misdiagnosis in laboratory practice on wrong reagents, equipment, and lack of enabling environment, experts and other stakeholders have described most of the deaths as avoidable.
Aside from causing avoidable deaths, misdiagnoses have also left many victims with new and strange ailments and could condemn them to a lifetime of permanent disability while legs and arms have been amputated as a result of wrong diagnosis.
Considering the havoc caused by diagnostic errors, it is of note that the advice of former APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole be considered which called for a review of Nigeria’s medical system so that doctors treat patients only in their specialized areas for a professional and perfect delivery.
He added that the menace of wrong diagnoses could be prevented by government, if it provided robust regulation on the health system.
Titilayo Kupoliyi
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