overdiagnosis

plural overdiagnoses

1. countableuncountablemedicineThe act or process of diagnosing something too frequently, or based on insufficient evidence, or without benefit to the patient; an instance of this act or process.

   While failing to make a diagnosis can result in lawsuits, there are no corresponding penalties for overdiagnosis.

   2007 January 2, H. Gilbert Welch, Lisa Schwartz, Steven Woloshin, “What’s Making Us Sick Is an Epidemic of Diagnoses”, in New York Times

   2 more examples

   Specifically, the broader diagnostic criteria typically results in the overdiagnosis of autism, particularly among those more severely disabled.

   2007, Stephen E. Brock, Shane R. Jimerson, Robin L. Hansen, Identifying, Assessing, and Treating Autism at School, page 29

   Overdiagnosis refers to diagnosis that does not benefit patients because the diagnosed condition is not a harmful disease in those individuals.

   2016 August, Wendy A. Rogers, Yishai Mintzker, “Getting clearer on overdiagnosis”, in Journal of evaluation in clinical practice

   Antonyms: underdiagnosis