Metacognition (e.g., when one reflects on one’s own decision and decision making) is an approach to reducing diagnostic errors. Using data from the Melanoma Pathology Study (M-PATH) and Breast Pathology Study (B-PATH), researchers assed pathologists’ metacognition by examining their diagnostic accuracy and self-confidence. Results showed pathologists with increased metacognition sensitivity were more likely to request a second opinion for incorrect diagnosis than they were for a correct diagnosis.

… be entirely attributed to new trainees. A past AHRQ WebM&M commentary discusses the July effect in the context of a …

While most current research has focused on preventing adverse drug events in the inpatient setting, medication errors are also an increasing cause of emergency department and ambulatory care visits, particularly among elderly patients. This examination of death certificates found a striking increase in fatal medication errors among ambulatory care patients, particularly when prescription medications were combined with alcohol or street drugs. Similar findings were noted in a prior study that analyzed deaths between 1983 and 1993. Issues of safe prescribing in the outpatient arena are discussed in a recent commentary.

This study found a 25% increased rate of medication error deaths at the beginning of each month, a finding the authors explore with several potential explanations, including increased pharmacy workload and error rates.