Patient Safety Network primer: Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) and diagnostic error (11 January 2022)

Summary

In this primer for Patient Safety Network, the authors examine the issues surrounding diagnostic error and delay during the Covid-19 pandemic. They discuss the following issues:

• Biases in the diagnostic process - availability bias, anchoring bias, implicit biases
• Diagnostic testing for active SARS-CoV-2 Infection
• Clinical implications of diagnostic error