In research this year, the BHS came out on top as things that the British public are proud of. However, the system is not perfect and mistakes do happen.
Misdiagnoses occur when health professionals either misinterpret symptoms as something else or fail to diagnose a problem at all. Medical misdiagnoses can have a huge impact on the patients as well as the NHS.
Financial impact
The NHS is run by budgets and everything costs money. Medical misdiagnoses have a huge financial impact on these budgets. In an NHS report, between 2017 and 2021 there were almost 9,000 claims made for compensation due to a failure to delay a diagnosis or a wrong diagnosis. The claim payouts totalled over £1 billion.
Although the compensation claims are a large chunk of money, there are other costs related to misdiagnosis. Getting the correct diagnosis can result in extra appointments, treatments and extended hospital stays, all of which cost money.
Operational strain
In the same way that repeated appointments and stays cost money, they also put a strain on the scheduling and workload of the NHS.
By seeing the same patient for the same issue repeatedly, the number of available appointments for new patients decreases, making waiting lists longer and leaving fewer hospital beds. This means that the impact of misdiagnoses will be felt for years, affecting all NHS users.
Human toll
Being misdiagnosed has an enormous impact on patients. Having a condition be ignored or brushed off as nothing can cause unnecessary physical pain as well as mental suffering as you may start to doubt your own body.
The same can be said for incorrect treatments. Some treatments can cause discomfort and pain, only for them to be unhelpful if they are used to treat the wrong condition.
Intangible costs
In the current climate, the reputation of the NHS is already precarious due to media reporting, budget constraints and long waiting lists. Errors in medical treatment, if they make the news, can cause a national dip in perception, which can ripple into people with similar illnesses not trusting their doctors’ expertise.
By having a mistrust of doctors, people may be less likely to seek medical care until it is urgent, which means more expensive treatments. Seeking a second opinion may become more common, meaning more appointments are used, increasing wait times further.
Preventative measures
Although it may seem counterproductive, pursuing a medical negligence claim can provide a learning opportunity for the people involved in a medical error. This could lead to future errors being reduced, saving everyone money, time and effort.
Maternity care has been a focus for the government, with an extensive two-step plan proposed in 2019 to improve the levels of care and safety by 2030. This is to reduce the number of stillbirths, neonatal deaths, maternal deaths and brain injuries.