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How to Reduce Medical Mistakes as a Patient
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Gone are the days when your doctor would spend an hour with you. The only reason health checks usually take that long is because you’re sitting in the waiting room. These days, you’re lucky if the doctor takes 15 minutes for your appointment. This means that your doctor will have to diagnose and set up treatments for you in a very short period. And unfortunately, this can lead to medical mistakes that can have catastrophic effects on your personal health, and on the treatment you receive. You can’t completely eliminate the chances that your doctor will make a mistake. However, there are a number of steps you can take to take control of your own health and gather the information your doctor will need to make the right diagnosis.

 

How Big is the Problem?How to Reduce Medical Mistakes as a Patient-2

A new study recently claimed that 20% of patients who seek a second opinion have been misdiagnosed by their primary physician. This is a shocking statistic. It means that one in five people aren’t getting the right treatment, a frightening reality for people with conditions that need immediate management for their future health. Because early detection is key with many conditions, medical mistakes can cost the patient weeks if not months of the wrong treatment while their real condition goes untreated.

 

Some studies suggest that the statistics may be even more widespread. The National Academy of Medicine recently stated that around five percent of people who see a doctor, about 12 million people a year, are misdiagnosed. These types of errors are also a low priority for people who record and study these kinds of statistics, so the real number may be even higher. Mistakes of this kind can be devastating for the patient, who bears the brunt of their consequences. Unfortunately, they may also be unavoidable, doctors are only human after all. But patients can reduce the chances of these mistakes occurring with vigilance and some changes to their personal health routines.

 

Why is this Happening?

Medicine isn’t a maths problem where there is only one possible answer. There are countless numbers of diseases, most of them sharing similar symptoms and having the same effects on the body. Add to that the fact that people experience illness and symptoms differently, or those who experience unusual presentations of common diseases, and it’s really not surprising that doctors are making mistakes.

 

Doctors are also really busy these days, and as they get busier the chances of them making a mistake increases. General practitioners may see dozens of patients a day, each with similar complaints and different conditions. The situation can be even worse in hospitals, where a doctor in an emergency room must make a diagnosis very quickly and with very little information. There are of course measures in place to minimise the effects of these mistakes, but these can’t completely eliminate every error.

 

The Changing Role of the Patient

What this tells us is that patients need to take a more active role in their own diagnosis and treatment. This means performing health checks at home, monitoring troubling symptoms, and researching potential treatments. By taking charge of your personal health in this way, you become an active participant in your own health and wellbeing. And when you do go to the doctor, you will be armed with all the information you need to help them make the right diagnosis.

 

How to Take Control of your Personal Health

With most health disorders, there are small symptoms present long before the disease becomes serious. Become aware of your own health through regular, at home health checks. This will help you to identify changes or symptoms as soon as they occur. This includes monitoring your blood pressure, skin condition, checking relevant areas for lumps or masses, and monitoring your general health and energy levels. Awareness is key. Once you are aware of what is normal for your body and health, abnormalities and changes will become even more obvious.

 

Taking control of your personal health also means taking preventative measures. This includes learning about your family’s medical history. Many diseases have genetic components, so this information can guide your home health checks, and should be shared with your doctor. Your doctor can then set up relevant tests or monitoring so that any changes are quickly noticed and can be treated. The more information you have, the more chance there is that you will identify any health concerns early and minimise their damage to your health and body.

 

If you need a tool that will help you manage and take charge of your health, try HomeLab so you can give your doctor the right information to diagnose your conditions.

 

Tags: Health, Medical Mistakes, Personal Health, Health checks

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