How often do people get the wrong diagnosis and how serious can it be if people get the wrong diagnosis?

Question: How often do people get the wrong diagnosis and how serious can it be if people get the wrong diagnosis?
- Keywords:
  diagnosis,
  medicine
Asked by anon-292586 to Carmen on 28 Apr 2021.
- Carmen Whitehead answered on 28 Apr 2021:
  
  I’m not sure how often, but it does definitely happen, unfortunately. It can be very serious, not only will you be getting the incorrect treatment, but after you find out the first diagnosis was wrong there is a great emotional toll as well. I can’t imagine being told I had something serious when I didn’t! This is why we do lots and lots of testing to make sure our assays (tests) will work how we want them to before we let them go out in the real world. Plus there are regulations we have to meet before it can be used in the clinical setting.

Question: How often do people get the wrong diagnosis and how serious can it be if people get the wrong diagnosis?