7 Million People Are Misdiagnosed , in US ERs Annually, , Government Report Finds.<br />The report was compiled by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.<br />The agency published its report on Dec. 15.<br />According to the research, .<br />... every year, 7.4 million people who go <br />to an ER in the U.S. are misdiagnosed.<br />The numbers equate <br />to six percent of the <br />130 million people who go <br />to an ER in the U.S. each year.<br />In addition, 2.6 million people are <br />harmed by the misdiagnoses they receive <br />in a way that is preventable.<br />Close to 370,000 are either permanently disabled or die due to misdiagnoses.<br />The data means that 1,400 diagnostic mistakes occur annually at every ER in the U.S.<br />The research also indicates that similar numbers of diagnostic errors occur in primary and hospital inpatient care.<br />40 percent of stroke patients who go to the ER reporting vertigo or dizziness are misdiagnosed.<br />According to the data, the most significant factors leading to misdiagnoses are atypical symptoms.<br />Women and people of color who go to the ER are <br />20 to 30 percent more likely to be misdiagnosed than male and white patients
