Diagnosis (and overdiagnosis) - the challenges and pitfalls

Today’s episode is about medical diagnosis. It’s a tricky business and

as patients we want to make sure the diagnosis is as accurate as possible without

something being missed or the opposite - the risk of overtreatment.

I look at the role of screening and talk through some of the challenges we face as both patients and

clinicians.

Links:

Improving diagnosis: https://www.improvediagnosis.org/stories/ (USA based)

Screening and ethics which govern it in the NHS: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-nsc-ethical-framework-for-screening/uk-nsc-ethical-framework-for-screening

“Too much medicine”: https://www.bmj.com/too-much-medicine

Overdiagnosis: https://www.bmj.com/content/362/bmj.k2820

Ivan Illich and his Medical Nemesis: https://www.rcpe.ac.uk/sites/default/files/jrcpe_46_2_omahony_0.pdf

Achenbach syndrome (just FYI): https://casereports.bmj.com/content/13/9/e238156

Medically unexplained symptoms: https://bjgp.org/content/67/656/106

Bill Turnbull documentary: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/bill-turnbull-staying-alive

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