Diagnostic errors in hospitalised adults who died or were transferred to intensive care (8 January 2024)

Summary

This study published in JAMA Internal Medicine looked at how often diagnostic errors happened in adult patients who are transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) or die in the hospital, what causes the errors, and what are the associated harms.

In this cohort study of 2428 patient records, a missed or delayed diagnosis took place in 23%, with 17% of these errors causing temporary or permanent harm to patients. The underlying diagnostic process problems with greatest effect sizes associated with diagnostic errors, and which might be an initial focus for safety improvement efforts, were faults in testing and clinical assessment.