Diagnostic difficulty and error in primary care—a systematic review.
Kostopoulou O, Delaney B, Munro CW. Diagnostic difficulty and error in primary care--a systematic review. Fam Pract. 2008;25(6):400-413. doi:10.1093/fampra/cmn071.
This systematic review of 21 published studies found that missed diagnoses in primary care could often be attributed to atypical or nonspecific presentations. This is in contrast to a study of closed malpractice claims, in which system problems contributed to a majority of outpatient missed or delayed diagnoses.