A new study reveals that women and racial minorities are 20% to 30% more likely than white men to experience medical misdiagnosis, highlighting the human cost of health disparities in the United States.
The research, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that nearly 1 in 4 hospital patients who died or were transferred to intensive care had experienced a diagnostic error. An estimated 795,000 patients annually die or are permanently disabled due to misdiagnosis.
Charity Watkins, a Black woman, experienced this firsthand when her postpartum heart failure was initially dismissed as depression and flu. “We almost lost you,” a cardiologist later told her.
The study shows misdiagnosis rates vary widely, from 1.5% for heart attacks to 22.5% for lung cancers. Black mothers face particularly high risks, being 2.6 times more likely to die than non-Hispanic white mothers, with more than half of these deaths occurring within a year after delivery.
Experts attribute these disparities to various factors, including racial bias in healthcare and lack of representation in medical textbooks. Dr. Monika Goyal of Children’s National Hospital states, “Racial bias is baked into our culture. It’s important for all of us to start recognizing that.”
Watkins, now an assistant professor studying childbirth complications in Black mothers, shares her story to help improve medical care. “Sharing my story is part of my healing,” she said. “It has helped me reclaim power in my life, just to be able to help others.”
See “Women and Minorities Bear the Brunt of Medical Misdiagnosis” (February 6, 2024)
