Application of human factors methods to understand missed follow-up of abnormal test results.

Deevakar Rogith; Tyler Satterly; Hardeep Singh; Dean F. Sittig; Elise Russo; Michael W. Smith; Don Roosan; Viraj Bhise; Daniel R. Murphy

Study

Application of human factors methods to understand missed follow-up of abnormal test results.

November 11, 2020

Rogith D, Satterly T, Singh H, et al. Appl Clin Inform. 2020;11(05):692-698.

View more articles from the same authors.

Lack of timely follow-up of test results is a recognized patient safety problem in primary care and can lead to missed or delayed diagnoses. This study used human factors methods to understand lack of timely follow-up of abnormal test results in outpatient settings. Through interviews with the ordering physicians, the researchers identified several contributing factors, such as provider-patient communication channel mismatch and diffusion of responsibility.

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