Collective intelligence increases diagnostic accuracy in a general practice setting (12 April 2024)

Summary

General practitioners (GPs) work in varied environment where diagnostic errors are common. Previous research indicates that combining independent diagnoses from different GPs can improve diagnostic accuracy in a range of settings. This study examined whether aggregating independent diagnoses can also improve diagnostic accuracy for GP decision making. In addition, it looked at the potential benefit of this approach in combination with a decision support system (DSS).

The authors found that combining independent diagnoses may substantially improve a GP’s diagnostic accuracy and subsequent patient outcomes. This approach did, however, not improve accuracy in all patient cases. Therefore, future work should focus on determining the conditions in which collective intelligence is most beneficial in general practice.

This year’s World Patient Safety Day on 17 September 2024 (WPSD 2024) is focused on the theme “Improving diagnosis for patient safety”. Find out more.