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This qualitative study explored how clinicians ensure optimal management of diagnostic test results, a major patient safety concern. Thematic analyses identified strategies clinicians use to enhance test result management including paper-based manual processes, cognitive reminders, and adaptive use of electronic medical record functionality.  

There are challenges to identifying and measuring diagnostic errors in healthcare settings. This systematic review found evidence that team meetings, error documentation, and trigger algorithms in various clinical settings may reduce diagnostic errors. The authors also found that while there have been numerous studies on interventions targeting diagnostic errors, few such interventions are being used in clinical settings.

The hectic pace of emergency care detracts from reliability. This review examined the literature on evidence, practice, and patient perspectives regarding diagnostic error in the emergency room. A WebM&M commentary discussed an incident involving a diagnostic delay in the emergency department.

This qualitative study combined the narratives of various critical care nurses into four representative scenarios demonstrating failure to recognize clinically deteriorating patients. The authors describe inattentional blindness, a concept in which individuals in high-complexity environments can miss an important event because of competing attentional tasks, as a key factor in these failure-to-rescue events.

This commentary describes factors that contribute to diagnostic errors, including cognitive biases, and recommends tactics to address these concerns.

This observational study highlights the framing effect of a suggestive clinical history, which significantly influenced electrocardiograph interpretation by emergency department physicians.

A decision support program improved adherence to recommended diagnostic algorithms for common emergency department conditions.

Using an account of surgical error from nineteenth-century Australia, the authors draw parallels with how medical mistakes and accountability are discussed today.