Non-English primary language (NEPL) patients may encounter barriers navigating the healthcare system and communicating with providers. In this retrospective study, researchers used the Safer Dx tool to explore differences in diagnostic errors among NEPL versus English-proficient (EP) patients. Among 172 patients who experienced a diagnostic error, the proportion was similar among EP and NEPL groups and NEPL did not predict higher odds of diagnostic error.

Missed diagnosis in the emergency department can result in unplanned hospitalization due to complications from worsening symptoms. In this study, pediatric patients with and without missed emergency department diagnosis were compared to determine differences in outcomes and hospital utilization. Children with missed diagnosis of appendicitis or new-onset diabetic ketoacidosis experienced more complications, hospital days and readmissions; there was no difference for sepsis diagnosis.

Clinical care pathways (CP) standardize care to ensure evidence-based practices are consistently followed. This study analyzed missed diagnostic opportunities (MDO) of pediatric musculoskeletal infections that could have been mitigated had the CP recommendations been adhered to. Misinterpretation of laboratory results was a critical contributor to MDO by both pediatric emergency providers and orthopedic consultants.

… and can lead to serious avoidable patient harm. Based on a web-based survey of 1,594 emergency medicine physicians, … the emergency department with undifferentiated symptoms (e.g., abdominal pain, fever, vomiting) and often involve …

Timely and effective feedback regarding diagnostic errors can reduce future misdiagnosis and prevent overtreatment. Pediatric emergency clinicians were asked about their attitudes towards, and effectiveness of, three diagnostic feedback modalities. Case-based feedback from peers was rated as most likely to improve future practice and none of the modalities was rated as providing emotional support.

Trigger tools and incident reporting systems are two commonly used methods for detecting adverse events.  This retrospective study compared the performance of an electronic trigger tool plus manual screening versus existing incident reporting systems for identifying probable diagnostic errors among children with unplanned admissions following a prior emergency department (ED) visit. Of the diagnostic errors identified by the trigger tool and substantiated by manual review, less than 10% were identified through existing incident reporting systems.

The dismissal of parental concerns is a known contributor to medical errors in children. This story illustrates how poor communication, lack of respect, and anchoring bias  contributed to failure in the care of a boy. The authors share actions being taken by the hospital involved in the tragedy to partner with the family to improve diagnosis practices throughout their organization.

… errors , including delayed diagnoses, continue to be a patient safety concern. This case-control study of children … additional surgical procedures. … Michelson KA, Reeves SD, Grubenhoff JA, et al. Clinical features and preventability of …

This study leveraged “Great Catches” as part of an existing handshake antimicrobial stewardship program (HS-ASP) to identify potential diagnostic errors. Using a validated tool, researchers found that 12% of “Great Catch” cases involved diagnostic error. These cases included a diagnostic recommendation from the HS-ASP team (e.g., recommendations to consider alternative diagnoses, request additional testing, or additional interpretation of laboratory results). As these diagnostic recommendations often flagged diagnostic errors, this suggests that the HS-ASP model can be leveraged to identify and intervene on diagnostic errors in real time.

Over a 2-month period, researchers surveyed pediatric clinicians to asses their comfort discussing medical errors (involving both systems and individual clinician responsibility) during morbidity & mortality conferences and privately with their peers. Respondents were least comfortable publicly discussing errors and were significantly less comfortable discussing diagnostic errors compared with other medical errors. The greatest barriers to discussing errors involved public perception of clinical performance.   

Heuristics provide cognitive shortcuts in the face of complex situations, and thus serve an important purpose. This survey of pediatricians found that identification of diagnostic heuristics was limited. Most respondents expressed discomfort discussing diagnostic errors in public settings, citing fear regarding loss of reputation.

In this study, health care providers and parents of children in a pediatric intensive care unit described their perceptions of family involvement in morning rounds. Although parents were overwhelmingly enthusiastic about being included in rounds, providers expressed some concerns and potential drawbacks, such as the avoidance of discussing uncomfortable topics due to presence of family.

… J Qual Health Care … Hospital readmissions have emerged as a national policy priority, in part spurred by financial … upon discharge. The National Quality Forum has endorsed a set of strategies to prevent adverse events after discharge …