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Interesting Survey on Misdiagnosis
- Thread starter WEBB PINKERTON
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"Participating in this survey were 400 pathologists, medical oncologists and surgical oncologists from Best Doctors physician database..."
"The cause leading to the most errors in interpretation of pathology specimens was said by the largest portion (47%) of responding physicians to be pathologists lack of subspecialty expertise. This finding is key to note, in that it raises the question of whether there could be an overgeneralization among pathologists..."
Assuming that most (all?) of the pathologists participating in the survey were hyperspecialized experts (a reasonable assumption), is anyone surprised by the conclusion? I would venture that that "47% of responding physicians" included an outsize number of pathologists.
In any case, no one need wring their hands about the "overgeneralization among pathologists" (!!!!!). The field is working overtime to correct that problem.
"The cause leading to the most errors in interpretation of pathology specimens was said by the largest portion (47%) of responding physicians to be pathologists lack of subspecialty expertise. This finding is key to note, in that it raises the question of whether there could be an overgeneralization among pathologists..."
Assuming that most (all?) of the pathologists participating in the survey were hyperspecialized experts (a reasonable assumption), is anyone surprised by the conclusion? I would venture that that "47% of responding physicians" included an outsize number of pathologists.
In any case, no one need wring their hands about the "overgeneralization among pathologists" (!!!!!). The field is working overtime to correct that problem.
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I dont buy the conclusion that most errors are from pathologists lack of subspecialty expertise. The "pool" of people who filled out that survey had to be hyperspecialized pathologists and oncologists. Seems like inadequate specimen sampling would be number one by a mile. This survey just reinforces the view that the local pathologist is incompetent and specimens need to be going to "experts".
I sense an opportunity here for CAP to revisit their organ-system "certifications" for generalists worried about perceptions of incompetence. For a fee, of course.
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Sadly, you are probably right. They sure threw many under the bus over DCIS a few years back... Pump people full and fear, sell "certifications", make money!
Ha! A survey of 400 Best Doctors. P-uh-lease! This is such self-serving BS. First of all, the survey is based entirely of questions based on personal opinion. Second, having seen a few reports from BDs over the years, they should not be the ones to talk diagnostic accuracy.....
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bd's? bad doctors? joking... i totally agree with your point on diagnostic accuracy.
Seems to me like any study that anyone has ever done comparing "expert" to "general pathologist" diagnosis of gray-area things has come out that the expert interpretation doesn't have any more clinical significance or reliability. The generalist was just as often "right" or whatever that means. I remember seeing studies on Barrett mucosa, endometrial hyperplasia, and I think prostate cancer. We have occasional cases that an academic center disagrees with us on. Sometimes the clinician requests a third opinion. The third opinion (another academic) invariably agrees with us, not the first academic center. Who is "right"?
