Context (e.g., patient characteristics, setting) can influence clinical reasoning and increase the risk for diagnostic errors. This article explores the ways in which individual-, team-, and system-level contextual factors impact reasoning, clinician performance and risk of error. The authors propose a multilevel framework to better understand how contextual factors impact clinical reasoning.

Minoritized and vulnerable people often experience delays in care due to systemic biases. This survey study examined the association between perceived discrimination at community pharmacies and foregoing or delaying picking up medications. Participants reported discrimination based on race, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, income, and prescription insurance; those participants were more likely to delay picking up their medications. There was no association with discrimination and foregoing medications.

Maternal morbidity and mortality are disproportionately experienced by persons of color in the United States. The authors of this article present a socioecological model for understanding the individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and societal factors contributing to Black maternal morbidity and mortality. The authors outline several recommendations for improving care, including workforce diversification, incorporating social determinants of health and health disparities into health professional education, and exploring the impact of structural racism on maternal health outcomes.  

The “July effect” is a widely held, yet poorly studied, belief that the quality of care delivered in teaching hospitals decreases during the summer months due to the arrival of new trainee physicians. Using national inpatient stay data from 2018, this study found that the risk of postpartum hemorrhage among patients treated at teaching hospitals was significantly higher during the first six months of the academic year (July to December) compared to the second half (January to June). The authors recommend future research examine whether postpartum hemorrhage is associated with resident work hours, technical deficiencies, or unfamiliarity with hospital practices, and emphasize the importance of monitoring and clinical training to mitigate the impacts of the “July effect.”

Patient safety improvements must consider the complexities of care delivery to achieve lasting change. This commentary discusses recent evidence examining the effect of duty hour limit adjustments. The authors highlight challenges regarding research design on this medical education policy change and how it affects learner and patient experience. They suggest caution in applying the study conclusions. 

Women’s pain has been underestimated compared to men’s pain, and treatments differ based on gender. This commentary revisits the findings from the 2001 article The Girl Who Cried Pain: A Bias Against Women in the Treatment of Pain. The authors state progress has been made in the past 20 years, but disparities still exist. Additional research is needed, particularly into chronic pain conditions that are more common in women.

Clinician’s emotions can influence their decision making, particularly with “difficult” patients. This article describes the role affect takes in clinical reasoning, including diagnosis. Strategies to counter the impact of emotional affect, such as emotional intelligence education, are presented.

The reduction of cognitive bias is generating increased interest as a diagnostic error reduction strategy. This statement introduces the concept of cognitive bias and discusses methods to manage the presence of bias in obstetrics such as debiasing training and teamwork.

Patient-centered care ensures that patient values, needs and preferences are respected; however, some patient populations, such as older adults with dementia, may require assistance. This article describes iatrogenic harm resulting from well-intended assistance in residential long-term care.

Racial bias in physicians and nurses is known to have a negative impact on health outcomes in patients of color; however, less is known about how racial bias in other healthcare workers may impact patients. This study used the Burgess Model framework for racial bias intervention to develop online modules related to racial disparities, implicit bias, communication, and personal biases to help healthcare workers to reduce their implicit biases. The modules were positively received, and implicit pro-white bias was reduced in this group. Organizations may use a similar program to reduce implicit bias in their workforce.

Effective handoff communication is a key indicator of safe patient care. These authors outline a new model for handoff communication, integrating three theoretical frameworks addressing relevant inputs (i.e., individual organizational, environmental factors), mediators (e.g., communication, leadership), outcomes (e.g., patient, provider, teamwork, and organizational outcomes), and adaptation loops.

Difficulty speaking up about patient safety concerns and unprofessional behavior indicates a safety culture deficiency. This article discusses the relationship between silence, burnout, and quality of care, emphasizing how silence evolves during medical education and continues into clinical training, eventually impacting healthcare professional burnout, patient safety and quality of care.

Most patients can now access their provider visit notes via online portals and many have reported mistakes such as diagnostic errors or missed allergies. This study asked patients who may be “at-risk” for diagnostic error about perceived concerns in their visit notes. Patients were more likely to report having concerns if they did not trust their provider and did not have a good feeling about the visit. Soliciting patient concerns may be one way to improve transparency regarding diagnostic errors and trust in providers.

Implicit biases among healthcare providers can contribute to poor decision-making and impede safe, effective care. This systematic review assessed the efficacy of interventions designed to reduce explicit and implicit biases among healthcare providers and students. The researchers found that many interventions can increase awareness of implicit biases among participants, but no intervention achieved sustained reduction of implicit biases. The authors propose a conceptual model illustrating interactions between structural determinants (e.g., social determinants of health, language concordance, biased learning environments) and provider implicit bias.