Diagnostic errors reported in primary healthcare and emergency departments: a retrospective and descriptive cohort study of 4830 reported cases of preventable harm in Sweden.

Rita Fernholm; Karin Pukk Härenstam; Caroline Wachtler; Gunnar H Nilsson; Martin J Holzmann; Axel C Carlsson

Study

Diagnostic errors reported in primary healthcare and emergency departments: a retrospective and descriptive cohort study of 4830 reported cases of preventable harm in Sweden.

October 9, 2019

Fernholm R, Pukk Härenstam K, Wachtler C, et al. Eur J Gen Pract. 2019;25(3):128-135.

View more articles from the same authors.

Diagnostic errors are still one of the most common types of errors found. This study examined diagnostic errors reported in primary and emergency care settings over a five-year period. Of the 2,200 diagnostic errors identified, the majority were missed or delayed cancer diagnoses in primary care and fractures in emergency care. The PSNet Primer "Diagnostic Errors" provides a detailed explanation of diagnostic errors and its importance in patient safety.

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