Doctor mistook Gun-Britt's lung cancer for shoulder pain

When Gun-Britt sought care, she was told she had frozen shoulder. The following year, she died of lung cancer. Now, the healthcare center is criticized by the Health and Social Care Inspectorate, Ivo.

In the fall of 2022, 72-year-old Gun-Britt Sturesson began to feel unwell and booked an appointment at a healthcare center with a sore shoulder. She was quickly diagnosed with frozen shoulder, given painkillers, and had an appointment with a physiotherapist.

According to her daughter, Susanne Isacsson, her mother made several visits to the healthcare center during the fall and was prescribed stronger and stronger medications, but nothing improved. By Christmas, she was so tired that she couldn’t participate in the celebration.

After the turn of the year, Gun-Britt’s health deteriorated further, but the healthcare center and the emergency room did not notice anything new and sent her home without any action. By January, she could barely move on her own.

Lung Cancer

It wasn’t until she was taken to the hospital by ambulance in April that she received the cancer diagnosis – almost six months after her first visit to the healthcare center. The cancer had spread, and shortly thereafter, she passed away.

The healthcare center in Fristad is now criticized by Ivo, where it is considered that too many doctors and nurses were involved and that no one could take into account the overall symptom picture.

The daughter hopes that the criticism will mean that someone else receives better care and that they will reflect on how they work and see the people who come. She also calls for better continuity, where patients get to see the same doctor every time.