KQED's Forum Why Aren’t Doctors Better At Diagnosing Illnesses?
Apr 7, 2026
Gurpreet Dhaliwal, a UCSF medicine professor and diagnostician, and Alexandra Sifferlin, health and science editor and author, explore why diagnoses go wrong. They discuss diagnostic errors, the limits of tests and AI, rare disease odysseys, biases against women, the role of multidisciplinary clinics, and how patients and clinicians can work together to find answers.
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Health Systems Don't Track Diagnostic Accuracy
- Health systems rarely provide systematic feedback to clinicians about diagnostic accuracy, so many doctors lack formal ways to learn outcomes.
- Alexandra Sifferlin was surprised that physicians often don't know whether prior diagnoses were correct.
Rare Inner Ear Hole Diagnosed After Multiple Doctors
- Mary had years of clogged-ear sensation and vertigo before a targeted CT scan at Stanford found superior semicircular canal dehiscence.
- She described relief and a five-day hospital fix followed by intensive balance rehabilitation.
Include Patients As Part Of The Diagnostic Team
- Patients are part of the diagnostic team; clinicians should listen because patients are experts on their own experiences.
- Gurpreet Dhaliwal urges inclusion of patient perspectives and hypotheses to catch clues clinicians might miss.
