Diagnostic Errors: A 'Moral, Professional and Public Health Imperative'

For years, patient safety efforts have focused on mistakes that occur during treatment, from medication errors to post-surgical complications. Since the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released the groundbreaking "To Err is Human" in 1999, clinicians and hospitals have made significant progress advancing patient safety. Yet diagnostic errors have been largely overlooked. Consider the impact of a missed, wrong or delayed diagnosis, which in the U.S.:  Affects 1 in 20 patients, or 12 million adults, in outpatient settings per year  Accounts for 6-17 percent of adverse events in hospitals  Contributes to 1 in 10 patient deaths Most patients will experience one or more diagnostic errors during their lifetime, causing potential harm from delayed or inappropriate treatments and tests. Diagnostic errors also can impact patients psychologically and financially. And, they represent the largest fraction of U.S. malpractice claims and the highest total of penalty payouts -- totaling $38.8 billion between 1986 and 2010, according to research published in BMJ Quality & Safety. In September, the IOM underscored the need for increased focus on diagnostic errors in "Improving Diagnosis in Health Care," calling improvements to the diagnostic process a "moral, professional and public health imperative." Diagnostic errors are complicated, with uncertainty an "inherent element at every step of the diagnostic process," according to "Improving Diagnosis in Health Care -- The Next Impera...

Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - February 19, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news