Learning from patients—Pitfalls in practice of neurology : learn from misdiagnosis cases

Abstract

I present the patients with misdiagnosis that I encountered for those 40 years of practice of neurology. Misdiagnosis is named diagnostic error, or diagnostic delay. The causes are classified, 1. non–fault error (unreliable information from patients, asymptomatic development of comorbid disease), 2. system–related error (inefficient processes, failed teamwork and communication of necessary information and skills), 3. cognitive error (faulty knowledge, faulty collection of information, faulty integration). Through the experience of pitfalls with misdiagnosis, both young and mid-level neurologists learn from patients, and cultivate useful skills in the practice of neurology.