|
 "Diagnosis is the
weak link in medicine"
Marianne Genetti
Founder, In Need Of Diagnosis, Inc.
Autopsies reveal that approximately 40% of diagnoses are incorrect. In two-thirds of those cases, treatment would have been available had the diagnosis been correct.
(Excerpted from JAMA article entitled Low Tech Autopsies in the Era of High Tech Medicine written by then-editor George D. Lundberg, MD., Oct. 14, 1998, - Vol 280, No. 14)
In Need Of Diagnosis, Inc. (INOD) advocates for
increased accuracy and timeliness of diagnoses
and is a resource center for those who suffer
with illnesses that have eluded diagnosis.
In Need Of Diagnosis, Inc. needs your financial support. Please donate.
"Your mission is very unique, I see all the time a duplication of services or missions. But your mission is very unique and I think needed. I see the systemic aspect to it and the advocacy needed for it.
It is my honor to be a donor and supporter of your mission.... "
Brian Henties, Program Manager
Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership Center INOD does not diagnose but it is sometimes possible to identify an unexplored option which may lead to help. INOD also tries to help people find a physician who can think outside the box.
The cost of treating illnesses in the advance stage is expensive and often nonproductive. Early diagnosis prevents unnecessary deaths and unneeded treatments. Yet the College of American Pathologists (CAP) estimates that only 3% of medical dollars are spent on diagnosis.
It is not that the technology for early screening for common illnesses as cancer is not available. It is rather that it is not done. There are then illnesses for which tests have not yet been developed. Parkinson's Disease, for example, was identified in 1838 but after 170+ years there still are no laboratory tests or scans for diagnosing it.
Those with one of the 7,000 rare disorders go an average of seven years before being diagnosed. Many die without being diagnosed. There are no physicians board certified in 'Diagnosis'. There is no physician whose job it is to take the reports from all the medical specialists and put the pieces of a complex medical puzzle together. A medical specialty in "diagnosis" is needed!
Patients must become knowledgeable consumers of medical services. Collectively they can make positive changes. Only when the public demands more accurate and more timely diagnoses will public dollars be spent to bring this about.
If you are undiagnosed and you need help, please click on "Need Help?" at the top of this page and provide the information requested.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
In Need Of Diagnosis, Inc. (INOD), PO Box 536456, Orlando, FL 32853-6456 Phone: (407) or (888) 894-9190 Fax: (407) 898-4234 Email: INOD@INOD.org, Web: http://www.inod.org/ |