Open AccessCOVID Blindness: Delayed Diagnosis of Aseptic Meningitis in the COVID-19 Era
Author(s) -
Taku Harada,
Takashi Watari,
Taiju Miyagami,
Satoshi Watanuki,
Taro Shimzu,
Juichi Hiroshige
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
european journal of case reports in internal medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.125
H-Index - 1
ISSN - 2284-2594
DOI - 10.12890/2020_001940
Subject(s) - debiasing , covid-19 , medicine , pandemic , health care , aseptic meningitis , healthcare system , intensive care medicine , medical emergency , meningitis , pediatrics , psychology , virology , disease , pathology , outbreak , infectious disease (medical specialty) , economics , economic growth , cognitive science
Diagnostic errors are a serious problem in healthcare. The diagnostic process is highly susceptible to cognitive bias and the current COVID-19 pandemic may cause normally accurate healthcare workers to make incorrect decisions. We report a case of aseptic meningitis that required five healthcare visits before it was correctly diagnosed. This case highlights the risk of anchoring bias and the importance of carefully assessing diagnostic processes during the COVID-19 pandemic.