Improving diagnosis in health care—the next imperative for patient safety.
Diagnostic error received relatively little attention until more recently and is now widely recognized as a major source of patient harm. The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) report, Improving Diagnosis in Health Care, estimated that most United States adults will experience one or more diagnostic errors in their lifetimes. Summarizing the goals from the report, this commentary details how the recommendations from the NAM can lead to enhanced diagnostic safety. The authors also acknowledge potential challenges to implementing the systems and process changes described. An Annual Perspective discussed advances in the field of diagnostic error.