Strategies for improving clinician psychological safety in reporting and discussing diagnostic error (September 2023)

Summary

Despite growing awareness of diagnostic error, most healthcare systems do not track or record diagnostic quality, and many diagnostic safety events are not recognised. Without methods to identify, measure, investigate and analyse events, healthcare organisations cannot understand causes of diagnostic errors, identify contributing factors or create solutions.

One of the best ways to collect information about diagnostic errors is through self-reporting by patients and healthcare professionals. This issue brief from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality looks at how to foster psychological safety and organisational safety culture in order to reduce harm from diagnostic error.