Researchers estimate one in 20 adult outpatients are misdiagnosed every year in the U.S., and half of these misdiagnoses could potentially lead to adverse events, according to a study in BMJ Quality & Safety.
Researchers analyzed three previous studies on outpatient diagnostic errors that presented similar definitions of misdiagnosis to estimate the frequency of the event. They then extrapolated the frequency to the U.S. adult population.
They found the combined frequency estimates presented an outpatient diagnostic error rate of 5.08 percent, or approximately 12 million adults.
"This foundational evidence should encourage policymakers, healthcare organizations and researchers to start measuring and reducing diagnostic errors," researchers wrote in the study.
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