Radiological Errors/ Discrepancies -- Taking stock

Salient points across the countries , literature, studies, modalities and others: By Dr MGK Murthy1. Approximately 1 billion radiological examinations are performed annually across the world 2. An average real time errors in daily practice is estimated at 3-5% (i.e.40 million discrepancies in an year) 3. 75%of Radiology malpractice claims pertain to diagnostic errors.( Diagnostic errors in US hospitals contribute 40-80 000 deaths per year, apart from many more non lethal incidents).4. In view of the prevalent proactive societal actions, most radiologists prefer  false +ve reading from safety point of view . 5. Diagnostic errors = missed/ wrong/ delayed as detected by some subsequent definitive test/ finding by the same test . Radiology errors =  failure to detect/ interpret/ communicate the results / suggest an appropriate followup test 6. Opinion =  A view held about a particular subject or point ; A judgement formed OR belief ( Terminology of "Error" is being actively replaced with" Discrepancy", a more appropriate term )7. Some classify discrepancies in to 2 varieties (a) Cognitive (failure to notice) (74%) (b) System failure (processes/ Equipment/Team failure etc)(60%) , or at times both  where as some others group them as (a) cognitive (failure to detect/ notice ) (20-40%) (...
Source: Sumer's Radiology Site - Category: Radiology Authors: Source Type: blogs