About 63 patients die each year as a result of a wrong diagnosis. Patient organisation points to the time constraints of the system.

It is worrying that several hundred patients each year receive incorrect diagnoses.

this is the sound of the reaction from Morten Freil, director of the Danish Patients, according to a report from the Patienterstatningen and the Danish society for Patient safety has examined the extent of wrong diagnoses.

the Report shows that the 7600 patients in the past ten years has been awarded compensation in the Danish health care system for the damage caused by the misdiagnosis.

And dying each year, and about 63 patients as a result of a wrong diagnosis.

- It is worryingly high numbers, and it is to be noted that there is also a large mørketal compared to the death toll, which is not registered as diagnosefejl, and all those who are not seeking compensation, says Morten Freil.

He points, among other things, that the practitioners have for a short time for each patient.

- There is no doubt about that, as it is today, is the time constraints in health care is a major cause. The doctor typically have very short time to look at the patient and diagnose the patient, says Morten Freil.

According to the specialist, Eva Benfeldt, who have helped to write the report, it is most often in the beginning of a course of treatment, that the errors being committed.

Morten Freil also suggests that that should be looked at, whether there is good enough access to the clearing at the country's hospitals.

- There needs to be better access from general practice to hospitals.

- If the general practice today is experiencing, that may lack the capacity at the hospitals for clarification, you may have a tendency to keep for a long time on the patients, and the disease can develop, says Morten Freil.

Professor of health economics Jakob Kjellberg from the Vive - National Research and analysis centre for Welfare estimates that Denmark is in line with similar countries, when it comes to the prevalence of incorrect diagnoses.

Seen in an international perspective, 760 annual cases of compensation after a misdiagnosis is thus not high in itself.

- But it is probably only the tip of the iceberg. For if you only end up with Patienterstatningen, is there anything legally involved.

- There can be plenty of cases where that is wrong, without that it comes to it, continues Jakob Kjellberg.

He adds that the doctors ' ability to make the correct diagnosis over the last 20 years, in spite of everything have improved significantly - especially in the area of cancer. This is due, among other special udredningspakker.

The new report is based on Patienterstatningens data from 2009 to 2018.

/ritzau/