News Investigators/ Medical experts say there was need to calibrate and validate medical machines to ensure accurate diagnosis and prevent wrong treatment
The experts spoke during a survey conducted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in different parts of the country.
They said that when functional machines were not re-calibrated, re-validated, or verified it could lead to wrong diagnosis, posing serious consequences for patients.
Dr Usman Katako, Director, Medical Laboratory Science Services, Niger State Ministry of Secondary and Tertiary Health blamed wrong diagnosis on variety of factors.
He said such factors included faulty machines, inexperienced personnel misinformation by the patient.
Katako explained that functional machines that were not calibrated, validated or verified could lead to wrong diagnosis.
He, therefore, advocated regular maintenance and servicing of laboratory equipment.
He also highlighted the importance of having experienced personnel, noting that inexperienced staff members could recommend the wrong laboratory procedure.
Furthermore, Katako stressed that patient misinformation could also contribute to wrong diagnosis, citing examples of patients providing incorrect symptoms or medical history.
Other factors contributing to wrong diagnosis, according to Katako, include documentation errors, pressure of work and inadequate infrastructure such as obsolete machines.
Katako also stressed the importance of providing conducive environment for laboratory equipment such as air conditioned facilities to function effectively.
Also, Dr Abubakar Usman, Medical Director, Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Bida, attributed wrong diagnosis to failure to follow established medical protocols.
He explained that hospitals use high sensitive instruments to analyse patient’s symptoms while laboratory tests were used to support provisional diagnosis.
Usman said that the healthcare system was designed to ensure accurate diagnosis, with more than 90 per cent of diagnosis correct when protocols were followed.
He decried carelessness among healthcare workers though he said it was not peculiar to the health sector.
Usman emphasised the importance of following professional ethics during diagnosis, adding that new healthcare workers might require orientation before being allowed to undertake certain responsibilities.
Similarly, Amina Ahmed, Director of Nursing Services, Niger Ministry for Secondary and Tertiary Health, cautioned against permitting nurses to interpret the test results
He said though they played crucial roles in ensuring the accuracy of test results, their ability to interpret results was limited.
She explained that test results were typically sent to the ward, where medical doctors interpreted them and determined the appropriate treatment.
However, Ahmed noted that in some cases, results might be sent to nurses when doctors were not available.
Narrating her experience, Mrs Felicia Obed, an out-patient disclosed how she, with O positive blood group, was transfused with the wrong blood type.
“Few minutes after the transfusion, I started feeling uncomfortable; I couldn’t breathe well and my body, including my face, started itching.
“I called on the nurse to complain about my symptoms that I was reacting negatively to the blood being transfused.
“I told her that he appeared the blood was not matched to me, but the nurse insisted it was my match.
“I started shouting and calling on the doctor to come to my rescue before the blood transfusion was removed,” she said.
In Kogi, some residents also decried wrong interpretation of test results and carelessness on the part of some medical personnel while attending to patients.
Dr Nuhu Solomon Anyegwu, immediate past Provost, College of Health Sciences and Technology Idah Kogi, told NAN that wrong diagnosis and wrong drug prescriptions were some of the most dangerous encounters in hospitals.
The medical practitioner attributed those abnormalities to improperly trained health personnel serving in substandard health institutions.
He said: “Again, wrong diagnosis can also result from the use of archaic, obsolete and out-dated laboratory equipment,.
“it can also come from the use of wrong and expired reagents in the laboratory for screening and investigation, and poor practical exposition during training.”
Anyegwu is also the former Deputy National President, Environmental Health Officers Association of Nigeria (EHOAN).
He said the menace was on the increase in Nigeria’s health sector, due to quackery and corruption by selfish and get-rich-quick minded persons in the society.
According to him, causes of wrong diagnosis and prescription can be due to poor training, greed and inadequate knowledge of drug administration.
He admonished healthcare institutions to avoid using fake and obsolete products and facilities in medical practice.
“Most importantly, all patients should insist on proper diagnosis through laboratory investigations before accepting treatment,’’ he said.
Dr Godwin Tijani, former chairman, Nigeria Medical Association, Kogi chapter, said wrong diagnosis could have devastating consequences.
According to him, factors such as human, technical, and organisational failures as well as patience could lead to wrong diagnosis and prescriptions.
“Mistakes made by healthcare professionals, including incorrect diagnosis, prescriptions, and instructions, equipment malfunctions or incorrect use of medical devices among others, could hinder quality healthcare delivery.
Tijani, who is a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Federal Teaching Hospital (FTHL) Lokoja, said the implications of such errors could be severe and devastating, leading to serious harm or even death.
“Government must upgrade medical equipment and maintain proper facilities; provide frequent training and retraining for healthcare professionals and establish protocols for accurate diagnoses, prescriptions, and instructions.
“Government and relevant agencies should establish and enforce policies to prevent errors, and ensure prompt action when errors occur.
“We must consistently educate patients on their medical conditions, treatments, and medications; foster a culture of transparency, accountability and open communication among healthcare professionals,” he said.
Dr Ibrahim Mohammed Nasiru, Head Of Department (HOD), Political Science Department, Kogi State University, Kabba, attributed the misdiagnosis corruption, nepotism, maladministration, poverty and ignorance.
“These account for the reasons why we have fake drugs, wrong diagnoses, and wrong prescriptions, among others, in our healthcare system across the country,” Nariru said.
Idris Muraina Chairman, Kogi Non-Governmental Organisations Network (KONGONET), said that the unethical behaviour and carelessness by some medical personnel leading to misdiagnosis could be attributed to several factors.
“The medical field, has over the years in Nigeria, joined the bandwagon of making money at all costs,’’ he told NAN.
Similarly, Dr Farouq Umoru, Consultant, Federal University Teaching Hospital Lokoja urged patients always provide accurate information to lab scientists.
He said it was unfortunate that in some instances, some patients deliberately or inadvertently provide inaccurate information about their health consider to doctors.
He also blamed over reliance on technology in detecting and treating patients as a major factor in wrong diagnosis and health management.
Conversely, Martha Jatau, a resident of Lafia, said she recently visited the Federal University Teaching Hospital Lafia for medical care and was impressed with the attention and care she received.
“They are now more responsive, courteous, and professional in their conduct. This is a welcome development.
“Though there was a delay before I was attended to because of the large number of patients, I got quality service and accurate diagnosis and treatment and the end,” she said.
She, however, complained that the government needed to employ more personnel and acquire world class medical equipment to make the facility one of the best in the country.
Also, Linus Alaku, a resident of Akwanga Local Government Area, said medical personnel were trying their best to discharge their duties of saving lives.
“The truth is that the ratio of health personnel per patient is low because of inadequate manpower and a growing population of people seeking medical attention daily.
“As a result, some of them sometimes treat patients inappropriately and make some avoidable mistakes due to the pressure of work,” told NAN.
Another resident, Salihu Musa, attributed the improvement to the efforts of the Nasarawa State Government, which had been working to upgrade the healthcare sector.
NAN