Sherlock Holmes had a knack for deducing facts by sifting through a plethora of evidence. Lisa Sanders shares that doctors can learn a lot from Sherlock Holmes when it comes to disease diagnoses in her TEDMED 2020 Talk, “Why we need medical diagnosis detectives”.

This Week’s TEDMED Talk

Why we need medical diagnosis detectives

Lisa Sanders, Diagnosis Detective

Today, 30 million Americans suffer from rare diseases, and it takes an average of 6 years to unlock these diagnoses. But Diagnosis Detective Lisa Sanderssuggests that it’s not just rare diseases that we diagnose incorrectly. Diagnostic error is a large scale problem that costs numerous lives each year. So what do we do about it? Lisa shares that increased training, feedback, and specialization in medicine are the keys to improving diagnostic accuracy. She also looks to Sherlock Holmes for a new approach, suggesting that doctors should look at each new case through a detective’s lens – with all evidence in front of them – rather than making a decision based on familiarity. In doing so, we can improve diagnoses, provide accurate treatments, and save lives.

Watch Lisa Sanders’ 2020 TEDMED Talk, “Why we need medical diagnosis detectives”, to learn how a Sherlock Holmes approach to medicine could shape the future of diagnoses for rare diseases and beyond.

Look out for the latest Talk Releases from TEDMED 2020, live on TEDMED.com.

Best,
The TEDMED Team

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