Researchers say that over “100,000 Americans die or are permanently disabled each year due to medical diagnoses that initially miss conditions or are wrong or delayed” and that “three major disease categories account for nearly three-fourths of all serious harms from diagnostic errors.”
Characterizing prescription errors as “relatively common but preventable,” The Pharmaceutical Journal has published recommendations for preventing the mistakes, which can represent threats to patient safety.
Two new online CME modules – “High Exposure Liability: Errors in Diagnosis – Parts I & II” -- feature a physician expert and a defense attorney discussing factors that contribute to diagnostic errors and offering strategies for improving patient care and reducing potential risk.
Researchers are looking at how better measurement of diagnostic errors may help physicians track performance, gauge the effectiveness of interventions, reduce errors and improve patient outcomes.