Diagnostic error

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In health care delivery, diagnostic error is type of medical error and is a "incorrect diagnoses after clinical examination or technical diagnostic procedure."[1]

Cause

Errors in the physical examination may be a cause diagnostic error.[2]

Epidemiology

Certain diagnoses that have been shown to be associated with high rate of error include major depression[3][4], migraine headaches (both underdiagnosed[5] and misdiagnosed.[6]), sinusitis[7], and urinary tract infection[8].

Prevention

For more information, see: Teaching evidence-based medicine#Clinical reasoning.

Cognitive forcing strategies may help prevent diagnostic error.[9]

References

  1. Anonymous (2024), Diagnostic error (English). Medical Subject Headings. U.S. National Library of Medicine.
  2. Schiff, Gordon D.; Omar Hasan, Seijeoung Kim, Richard Abrams, Karen Cosby, Bruce L. Lambert, Arthur S. Elstein, Scott Hasler, Martin L. Kabongo, Nela Krosnjar, Richard Odwazny, Mary F. Wisniewski, Robert A. McNutt (2009-11-09). "Diagnostic Error in Medicine: Analysis of 583 Physician-Reported Errors". Arch Intern Med 169 (20): 1881-1887. DOI:10.1001/archinternmed.2009.333. Retrieved on 2009-11-10. Research Blogging.
  3. Cepoiu M, McCusker J, Cole MG, Sewitch M, Belzile E, Ciampi A (2008). "Recognition of depression by non-psychiatric physicians--a systematic literature review and meta-analysis". J Gen Intern Med 23 (1): 25–36. DOI:10.1007/s11606-007-0428-5. PMID 17968628. Research Blogging.
  4. Mitchell A et al. (22 August 2009) Clinical diagnosis of depression in primary care: a meta-analysis. Lancet 2009;374(9690):609-619 DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60879-5 PMID 19640579
  5. Lipton RB, Stewart WF, Celentano DD, Reed ML (1992). "Undiagnosed migraine headaches. A comparison of symptom-based and reported physician diagnosis". Arch. Intern. Med. 152 (6): 1273–8. PMID 1599358[e]
  6. Schreiber CP, Hutchinson S, Webster CJ, Ames M, Richardson MS, Powers C (2004). "Prevalence of migraine in patients with a history of self-reported or physician-diagnosed "sinus" headache". Arch. Intern. Med. 164 (16): 1769–72. DOI:10.1001/archinte.164.16.1769. PMID 15364670. Research Blogging.
  7. Williams JW, Simel DL (1993). "Does this patient have sinusitis? Diagnosing acute sinusitis by history and physical examination.". JAMA 270 (10): 1242-6. PMID 8355389.
  8. Woodford HJ, George J (November 2008). "Diagnosis and Management of Urinary Tract Infection in Hospitalized Older People". J Am Geriatr Soc. DOI:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2008.02073.x. PMID 19054190. Research Blogging.
  9. Croskerry P (2003). "Cognitive forcing strategies in clinical decision making.". Ann Emerg Med 41 (1): 110-20. DOI:10.1067/mem.2003.22. PMID 12514691. Research Blogging.