In 6,400-Clinician Study, Over 96% Believe Diagnostic Errors are Preventable, Yet Nearly Half Encounter Them Regularly
WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- A 6,400-clinician study from QuantiaMD, the largest mobile and online physician community, shows that almost half (47%) of the respondents encounter diagnostic errors (e.g., missed, late, or wrong diagnoses) at their practice at least monthly. The majority of respondents (64%) said that up to 10% of misdiagnoses they have experienced have directly resulted in patient harm. However, more than 96% of clinicians believe diagnostic errors are preventable at least some of the time. Please view the study report, Physician Perspectives on Preventing Diagnostic Errors, at http://www.quantiamd.com/q-qcp/QuantiaMD_PreventingDiagnosticErrors_Whitepaper_1.pdf.
Study respondents identified atypical patient presentation, failure to consider other diagnoses and inadequate patient history as the top contributors to diagnostic errors. Respondents also noted external factors such as a over-testing to avoid malpractice risk. Clinicians indicated the top five diagnoses at greatest risk for misdiagnosis as:
- Pulmonary embolism
- Bipolar disorder
- Appendicitis
- Breast cancer
- Myocardial infarction
An estimated 40,000 to 80,000 US hospital deaths result from misdiagnosis annually, according to a 2002 JAMA article. However, these errors have received little attention due to a combination of under-reporting and under-developed measurement techniques. QuantiaMD’s Do No Harm Special Interest Group initiated this study to shed light on this problem and to engage the nation’s physicians in a mobile and online interactive educational program aimed at helping to prevent these errors.
“Diagnostic errors have been a long-neglected aspect of the patient safety movement, not getting the attention they deserve,” said Robert M. Wachter, MD, Professor and Associate Chairman, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco and the moderator of the new series. “This QuantiaMD program, which includes presentations by many of the world’s leading experts on diagnostic mistakes, lays the foundation for physicians to come together to begin discussing the challenge of improving our diagnostic acumen, and learning about the utility of new tools, including new kinds of cognitive training, systems-based decision support tools, and even artificial intelligence.”
Looking to the future, study respondents feel that efforts to prevent diagnostic errors must strike a balance between the science and the art of diagnosis. Three quarters of clinicians were confident that decision support tools and artificial intelligence aids will help to prevent diagnostic errors in the future. However, 56% believe that artificial intelligence aids, such as a medical version of Watson – IBM’s artificial intelligence computer system – will never be able to replace the physician’s role in diagnosis.
“Unlike many patient safety topics, which often focus on management systems and are executed by various members of the care team, diagnostic errors are 100% physician territory,” said Michael Paskavitz, Editor in Chief of QuantiaMD. “What excites us is that QuantiaMD members initiated this study and are proactively collaborating to deliver solutions. The clinical and financial impact of diagnostic errors are profound. Equally profound, however, is the opportunity that comes with tens of thousands of physicians focusing their attention on improving a vital element of a patient’s care experience.”
QuantiaMD’s 8-part series, “Preventing Diagnostic Errors”, is available for viewing at http://www.quantiamd.com/home/diagnosticerrors. In it, Wachter and his faculty of experts from across the nation discuss the latest thinking around misdiagnosis, including current and future approaches to overcome many of the challenges identified in this study and elsewhere. Each interactive segment takes on a different aspect of the issues, such as exploring systems and cognitive errors, focusing on improving diagnostic reasoning, and discussing policies and future approaches to prevention. The esteemed faculty include such experts as Gordon Schiff, MD, Associate Director of the Brigham Center for Patient Safety Research and Practice, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Patrick Croskerry, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine, and Division of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, and David W. Bates, MD, MSc, Chief, Division of General Internal Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
About QuantiaMD’s Do No Harm Special Interest Group
The Do No Harm Special Interest Group (SIG) uniquely presents patient safety topics through the physician lens, and gives practical strategies and resources to reduce medical errors and protect patients from harm. SIG members work together to achieve these goals through expert education, sharing resources, and discussing and supporting each other. This SIG is one of many that QuantiaMD members can join to learn, respond and connect with colleagues across the country who share the same passions. Please view the SIG at http://www.quantiamd.com/home/sig_donoharm.
About QuantiaMD
As the largest mobile and online physician community, QuantiaMD exists to help physicians reshape medical practice for modern times. QuantiaMD members share expert thinking, test their understanding, and stay ahead of rapid scientific advances. More than 125,000 members access QuantiaMD for free through any smartphone, tablet or computer. QuantiaMD® is a registered trademark of Quantia Communications, Inc, a privately held corporation headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, USA. All other product names and references contained herein remain the service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective owners. For more information, visit http://www.quantiamd.com.
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QuantiaMD
Ross Homer, 1-617-219-6164
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