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Why you'll probably be misdiagnosed in your lifetime

Nearly every person will experience at least one diagnostic error in their lifetime. That means either a delayed diagnosis, a wrong diagnosis – or no diagnosis at all. That’s according to a report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine from 2015 on diagnostic error. Today on the show we talk to a physician who was personally affected by the crisis, and New York Times editor and author of the book The Elusive Body: Patients, Doctors and the Diagnosis Crisis. If you liked this episode, check out these other episodes: - How science is taking tripping mainstream - What If You Took The "Trip" Out Of Ketamine? - Could Psychedelics Become Tripless? - The Reality Of OCD Interested in more medical science? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org. Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

Dr Amara Okafor✓ Literacy · PhD · · Short Wave

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Okafor, A. [@amaraokafor]. (2026, September 15). Why you'll probably be misdiagnosed in your lifetime [Audio podcast episode]. In Short Wave. CIT.ED. https://cit.education/p/a9f21802-6146-47a9-b458-c2bc53860684

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Okafor, A. [@amaraokafor] (2026) ‘Why you'll probably be misdiagnosed in your lifetime’, Short Wave [Podcast]. CIT.ED, 15 September. Available at: https://cit.education/p/a9f21802-6146-47a9-b458-c2bc53860684 (Accessed: 3 November 2026).

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Okafor, Amara [@amaraokafor]. “Why you'll probably be misdiagnosed in your lifetime.” Short Wave, CIT.ED, 15 Sept. 2026, cit.education/p/a9f21802-6146-47a9-b458-c2bc53860684.

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Okafor, Amara (@amaraokafor). 2026. “Why you'll probably be misdiagnosed in your lifetime.” Short Wave. CIT.ED podcast episode, September 15, 2026. https://cit.education/p/a9f21802-6146-47a9-b458-c2bc53860684.

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Okafor A. Why you'll probably be misdiagnosed in your lifetime [podcast episode on the Internet]. Short Wave. CIT.ED; 2026 Sep 15 [cited 2026 Nov 3]. Available from: https://cit.education/p/a9f21802-6146-47a9-b458-c2bc53860684

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