Incorrect test results lead to incorrect treatment, making the disease worse.

Nowadays, testing is becoming more and more accurate because of more modern equipment, however, errors in testing and misdiagnosis still occur in some medical facilities. There are many patients who are misdiagnosed, leading to incorrect treatment, not only wasting treatment costs but the disease also got worse, causing many dangerous complications, even affecting life...

Doctor CKII Tran Thi Van Anh, Head of Internal Medicine Department, Thong Nhat Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, examines a patient. Photo: KIM HUYEN

Appendicitis due to… misdiagnosis

In early 2023, Ms. Ta Thi Ngoan (living in Ward 10, Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City) had severe abdominal pain for many hours, so she went to H.D General Hospital (Go Vap District) for examination. After performing tests, X-rays, and ultrasounds, the doctors diagnosed her with gastritis and prescribed medicine to buy at home. However, although she took the medicine regularly as prescribed, the pain persisted and became more and more severe. About 5 days later, her family had to take Ms. Ngoan to Military Hospital 175 for emergency treatment. Here, the doctors diagnosed her with appendicitis and a ruptured appendix, and she had to be hospitalized for treatment. "The initial misdiagnosis endangered my life, causing the treatment process to last nearly 1 month, with a total cost of nearly 30 million VND," Ms. Ngoan said.

Similarly, in early December 2023, Ms. Vo Huynh Kim Chi (living in Ward 15, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City) had severe abdominal pain. Her family took her to a hospital in Tan Binh District for emergency treatment. After performing a series of tests, X-rays, and ultrasounds, the doctor concluded that Ms. Chi had gastritis due to an ectopic pregnancy, then prescribed her medicine to buy at home. The next day, Ms. Chi felt more abdominal pain, and the pain gradually increased.

The family took her to Binh Dan Hospital (District 3) for emergency treatment. There, doctors diagnosed Chi with acute appendicitis and she had to be hospitalized and have her appendix removed immediately. “Doctors at Binh Dan Hospital said that if it is not detected and brought to the emergency room in time, it can easily cause a ruptured or ruptured appendix, which will require a very long treatment process and can cause life-threatening complications. Not only that, the cost of treatment, testing, and imaging at both hospitals costs more than 10 million VND,” Chi said.

There are still test errors.

To minimize errors in testing, the Ministry of Health has issued criteria for assessing the quality of medical laboratories, with the goal of improving quality and ensuring accurate test results. However, in reality, some medical facilities have not yet applied this set of criteria to build a quality management system, leading to inaccurate test results and not creating trust for patients.

Associate Professor, Dr. Le Dinh Thanh, Director of Thong Nhat Hospital (HCMC), shared that the main reason for the discrepancy in test results between medical facilities is that the tests are performed on different testing systems and different chemicals are used. There is even a lack of a uniform calibration process between medical facilities. Currently, errors in the testing process are divided into 3 stages (pre-test errors, test errors, post-test errors), each stage will have a different risk of error. To minimize discrepancies in test results, laboratories must regularly conduct internal and external audits.

According to Dr. Le Trung Chinh, Head of the Testing Department, Saigon General Hospital, test results are considered erroneous when there is a difference in clinical significance, affecting the diagnosis and treatment monitoring results of doctors. Regarding reading test results, each test has a unit of measurement and reference range depending on the testing method. Therefore, it is necessary to consider factors such as the time and conditions of sample collection. Patients tested at two different medical facilities will have samples taken under two different conditions. Furthermore, each facility uses different testing systems and chemicals, most of the causes of erroneous test results are due to errors in testing.

“In case of incorrect test results or diagnosis, people should consult directly with their treating doctor. The doctor will evaluate the results and make an appropriate diagnosis or advise people to re-test at a third facility. Each test is meaningful for a certain period of time, so periodic checks should be performed every 6-12 months, depending on the type of test. The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health has announced the quality level of medical facilities in the city, people can refer to and choose a medical facility that suits their needs,” Dr. Le Trung Chinh recommended.

According to the Ministry of Health, currently, testing accounts for 80% of medical services, and test results greatly affect disease diagnosis and treatment decisions. In many hospitals, doctors' clinical indications are entirely based on test results. Therefore, medical facilities must ensure the criteria for assessing the quality of medical laboratories according to regulations.

BUI TUAN - KIM HUYEN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/lech-ket-qua-xet-nghiem-dieu-tri-sai-benh-them-nang-post719595.html