Topic: Misdiagnosis

3 chapters across the catalog

Seismic Sundae
Episode 1680 2:08:00 - 2:11:26

1680: Seismic Sundae

Customer Service and the WHO Chatbot Sarah

The importance of human customer service is highlighted by the historical success of WordPerfect, which thrived due to its accessible support staff. This is contrasted with the World Health Organization's new chatbot, "Sarah," which provides generic health advice. A 2022 HHS study found that 2% of ER patients suffer harm from misdiagnosis, raising questions about whether AI will improve or worsen these statistics.

Heat Map
Episode 1368 2:00:19 - 2:02:52

1368: Heat Map

Flu Statistics, Clinical Testing Discrepancies

Clinical technicians report that the perceived disappearance of the flu in 2020 was due to a lack of testing rather than the effectiveness of masks. Hospitals primarily swabbed for COVID-19, leading to a near-zero count for seasonal influenza in official CDC data. Current numbers show only a handful of flu cases nationwide, whereas typical years see tens of thousands of recorded infections.

Obama Sells Out To China
Episode 143 35:54 - 38:13

143: Obama Sells Out To China

H1N1 Misdiagnosis and Potential Tuberculosis Link

A theory is presented suggesting that some H1N1 cases may actually be misdiagnosed tuberculosis, which killed 1.8 million people globally last year. Investigative work by CBS News found that between 87% and 97% of patients tested for H1N1 actually had other respiratory illnesses. If the illness is bacterial rather than viral, the use of antivirals instead of antibiotics could be detrimental.