How do patients and care partners describe diagnostic uncertainty in an emergency department or urgent care setting?

Athena P DeGennaro; Natalia Gonzalez; Susan M. Peterson; Kelly T Gleason

Study

How do patients and care partners describe diagnostic uncertainty in an emergency department or urgent care setting?

March 13, 2024

DeGennaro AP, Gonzalez N, Peterson SM, et al. Diagnosis (Berl). 2024;11(1):97-101.

View more articles from the same authors.

Diagnostic uncertainty is common, particularly in the emergency department (ED) or urgent care where patients are typically unknown to the provider, and the goal of care is to provide a patient with a plan, such as follow-up with primary care provider. In this study, patients and care partners describe their experiences with diagnostic uncertainty in the ED or urgent care. 73% reported poor communication with the most common subtheme being poor explanation.

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See More About The Topic

Emergency Departments

Emergency Medicine

Clinical Misdiagnosis

Provider-Patient Communication

Patient Education

How do patients and care partners describe diagnostic uncertainty in an emergency department or urgent care setting?

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