RESEARCH - Pulmonary embolism and drug reactions top list of diagnostic errors

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Pulmonary Embolism and Drug Reactions Top List of Diagnostic Errors

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November 11, 2009 — Pulmonary embolism and drug reactions or overdose

are the most common diagnostic errors committed or observed by

physicians, according to a survey of general practitioners and

specialists, the results of which are published in the November 9

issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

This sample of diagnostic errors represents " the largest reported case

series of diagnostic errors to date and affords valuable insights into

the types of errors that physicians are committing and witnessing, "

write Gordon D. Schiff, MD, from the Division of General Medicine and

Primary Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, and

colleagues.

The goals of the study were to identify commonly missed diagnoses, to

delineate recognizable patterns and themes, and to apply the new

Diagnostic Error Evaluation and Research taxonomy tool for analyzing

cases.

Researchers asked physicians to recall 3 clinically significant

diagnostic errors that they had seen or committed, to estimate how

often they had seen those errors, and to rate the clinical impact or

outcome of each error. A diagnostic error was defined as any mistake

or failure in the diagnostic process leading to a misdiagnosis, missed

diagnosis, or delayed diagnosis.

Physicians readily offered information on diagnostic error. " This

readiness suggests that diagnostic error is not unusual in clinical

practice, and actively soliciting such cases represents an opportunity

for tapping into a hidden cache of medical errors that are not

generally collected by existing error surveillance and reporting

systems, " according to the authors.

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Read the full article here:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/712239

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