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Medical error
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=== Errors in diagnosis === The projected cost of medical errors to the U.S. economy is approximately $20 billion, 87% of which are direct increases in medical costs of providing services to patient affected by medical errors.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.soa.org/globalassets/assets/files/research/projects/research-econ-measurement.pdf|title=The Economic Measurement of Medical Errors|last=Shreve|first=J et al (Milliman Inc.)|date=June 2010|website=Society of Actuaries|access-date=November 11, 2019|archive-date=January 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115165754/https://www.soa.org/globalassets/assets/Files/Research/Projects/research-econ-measurement.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Medical errors can increase average hospital costs by as much as $4,769 per patient.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Arlen|first=Jennifer|date=October 1, 2013|title=Economic Analysis of Medical Malpractice Liability and Its Reform|journal=New York University Law and Economics Working Papers|ssrn=2262792}}</ref> One common type of medical error stems from x-rays and medical imaging: failing to see or notice signs of disease on an image.<ref name="Analysis of Perceptual Expertise in"/> The retrospective "miss" rate among abnormal imaging studies is reported to be as high as 30% (the real-life error rate is much lower, around 4-5%, because not all images are abnormal),<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Berlin |first1=Leonard |title=Accuracy of Diagnostic Procedures: Has It Improved Over the Past Five Decades? |journal=American Journal of Roentgenology |year= 2007 |volume=188 |issue=5 |pages=1173β1178 |doi=10.2214/AJR.06.1270|pmid=17449754 }}</ref> and up to 20% of missed findings result in long-term adverse effects.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Brady|first=Adrian|date=December 7, 2016|title=Error and discrepancy in radiology: inevitable or avoidable?|journal=Insights into Imaging|volume=8|issue=1|pages=171β182|doi=10.1007/s13244-016-0534-1|pmid=27928712|pmc=5265198|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Brady|first=Adrian|date=January 2012|title=Discrepancy and Error in Radiology: Concepts, Causes and Consequences|journal=Ulster Med J.|volume=81|issue=1|pages=3β9|pmc=3609674|pmid=23536732}}</ref> A large study reported several cases where patients were wrongly told that they were HIV-negative when the physicians erroneously ordered and interpreted HTLV (a closely related virus) testing rather than HIV testing. In the same study, >90% of HTLV tests were ordered erroneously.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Siemieniuk |first=Reed |author2=Fonseca, Kevin |author3=Gill, M. John |title=Using Root Cause Analysis and Form Redesign to Reduce Incorrect Ordering of HIV Tests |journal=Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety |date=November 2012 |volume=38 |issue=11 |pages=506β512 |pmid=23173397 |doi=10.1016/S1553-7250(12)38067-7 }}</ref> A 2008 literature review in [[The American Journal of Medicine]] estimated that between 10 and 15% of physician diagnoses are erroneous.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Berner |first1=Eta S. |last2=Graber |first2=Mark L. |title=Overconfidence as a Cause of Diagnostic Error in Medicine |journal=The American Journal of Medicine |date=May 2008 |volume=121 |issue=5 |pages=S2βS23 |doi=10.1016/j.amjmed.2008.01.001 |pmid=18440350 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Misdiagnosis of lower extremity cellulitis is estimated to occur in 30% of patients, leading to unnecessary hospitalizations in 85% and unnecessary antibiotic use in 92%. Collectively, these errors lead to between 50,000 and 130,000 unnecessary hospitalizations and between $195 and $515 million in avoidable health care spending annually in the United States.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Weng |first1=Qing Yu |last2=Raff |first2=Adam B. |last3=Cohen |first3=Jeffrey M. |last4=Gunasekera |first4=Nicole |last5=Okhovat |first5=Jean-Phillip |last6=Vedak |first6=Priyanka |last7=Joyce |first7=Cara |last8=Kroshinsky |first8=Daniela |last9=Mostaghimi |first9=Arash |title=Costs and Consequences Associated With Misdiagnosed Lower Extremity Cellulitis |journal=JAMA Dermatology |date=1 February 2017 |volume=153 |issue=2 |pages=141β146 |doi=10.1001/jamadermatol.2016.3816 |pmid=27806170 |s2cid=205110504 |url=http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:33785925 |access-date=September 8, 2019 |archive-date=August 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240814204252/https://dash.harvard.edu/handle/1/33785925 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref>
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