Inpatient notes: just what the doctor ordered—checklists to improve diagnosis.
Gupta A, Graber ML. Web Exclusive. Annals for Hospitalists Inpatient Notes - Just What the Doctor Ordered-Checklists to Improve Diagnosis. Ann Intern Med. 2019;170(8):HO2-HO3. doi:10.7326/M19-0829.
Standardized approaches can enhance team communication, process reliability, and diagnostic thinking. This commentary suggests that checklist use is an underutilized low-cost intervention to reduce diagnostic error. The authors describe process checklists, which can can help manage cognitive challenges, and content checklists, which provide differential diagnoses for common symptoms.