COVID-19

SIDM shares concerns about the global threat of novel coronavirus (COVID-19). As with any disease, reaching a timely and accurate explanation of a patient’s symptoms is critical to achieving the outcomes that matter to patients. For information about coronavirus and direction on what clinicians and the general public should do, please see guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local public health authorities.

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A Multi-Faceted Approach to Diagnostic Improvement

See what the Society of Hospital Medicine, member of the Coalition to Improve Diagnosis, is doing to improve diagnostic quality and support clinicians facing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read ACT Update

Feedback, on the Learning Curve to Improved Diagnosis

At most organizations, feedback about diagnostic errors continues to be rare; it is hard to both give and receive. What the term “feedback” means and how best to use it for learning is increasingly the subject of discussion and research.

Read the ImproveDx Newsletter

Call for Proposals Now Open

SIDM is seeking proposals for grants to carry out 12-month diagnostic quality and safety projects. Grants of up to $50,000 available for QI work directed towards improving diagnosis.

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Running against the clock

After collapsing while running, Alex James underwent a litany of tests. However, the testing was inconclusive and he was sent home with no further instructions—including not to keep running, even though such instructions appeared in his medical records.

Read Alex's Story

How to know if your diagnosis is right or wrong

Perhaps you’ve recently visited your healthcare professional because you’ve had symptoms that concerned you. After several steps, your doctor diagnosed you and gave you a treatment plan. If the treatment works, then perhaps the diagnosis was correct and you are on the right track. If the therapy doesn’t work, it could be a misdiagnosis or something else.

Read the Dx IQ Column

The lingering lump

Diana Cejas, MD, MPH, was in her first year of medical school when she first noticed the lump in her neck. She was told it was “nothing to worry about” and that antibiotics would take care of it. It would take five years before she finally had answers.

Read Diana's Story

Webinar: Reducing Harm by Getting Patients the Right Diagnosis at the Right Time

Diagnostic errors are the most common, catastrophic and costly of all medical errors—resulting in thousands of patients suffering serious harm every year.

Watch this SIDM-sponsored Modern Healthcare webinar to learn how to understand diagnostic error, when and where misdiagnoses are most likely to take place, how to track areas for improvement in diagnostic quality, and best practices that systems can employ to improve the diagnostic process.

Watch the Webinar

Patients

Patients and family members have a significant opportunity to contribute to diagnostic accuracy and timeliness by actively participating in the diagnostic process. But often, they don't know the questions to ask, the information to offer, or the steps to take to improve diagnosis.

Resources

Clinical Teams

Every member of the clinical team has a role to play in ensuring that diagnoses are accurate, timely and communicated to the patient. SIDM offers resources for clinical team members to improve cognitive skills and work within their health systems to improve the diagnostic process.

Resources

Medical Educators

Improving diagnosis requires continued investment in medical education, leveraging trainees, practitioners, and educators to address gaps in the system and focus on the teams that contribute to accurate and timely diagnostics. SIDM's resources for medical educators examine clinical reasoning and system factors that underlie diagnostic error, and offer tools and strategies to to bring diagnostic quality and safety into the medical education curriculum.

Resources

Researchers

Whether you're an established researcher or just joining the diagnostic error research community, SIDM offers a variety of resources to help advance research efforts in the field. Explore existing literature, engage with your peers, and join the conversation as we work to foster the growth of the research community.

Resources

Advocacy

Despite the fact that diagnostic error likely accounts for more patient harm than all other medical errors combined, federal investment in research to improve diagnosis amounts to about $7 million per year, or just .02% of the total $35 billion federal health research budget. Learn how you can support efforts to expand funding for research.

Resources

In the News

A Multi-Faceted Approach to Diagnostic Improvement

Learn what the Society of Hospital Medicine, member of the Coalition to Improve Diagnosis, is doing to improve diagnostic quality and support clinicians facing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read ACT Update

EuroDEM 2020 Is Postponed

As we continue to monitor the impact of COVID-19, it has become clear that it is not possible to proceed with EuroDEM in Padova, Italy on June 16-17 of this year. After much review, dialogue with key stakeholders and considerable evaluation of the evolving situation, we have decided to postpone EuroDEM to June 24 – 25, 2021.

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Disparities Workshop Connects Patient and Clinician Insights

With support from SIDM leaders in patient engagement, Dr. Kathryn McDonald and patient safety champion Helen Haskell hosted a Disparities Workshop at DEM2019. Highlights of workshop included an amalgam of patient stories crafted to capture the significance of the errors experienced and the importance of the patients’ visible age, gender, and racial factors.

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Healthcare workers collaborating on a project

Taking Action to Close the Loop on Diagnostic Error - A Constellation and SIDM Collaborative

Constellation, a medical professional liability (MPL) insurance company, and SIDM have joined together to create a new Quality Improvement Collaborative focused on closing the loop on test results and follow-up care.

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DxQI Seed Grant Program

SIDM has established the DxQI Seed Grant Program to engage healthcare organizations in efforts to identify, develop, and test interventions aimed at improving diagnostic quality and reducing harm from diagnostic error.

Learn More & Apply

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start conversations, discover resources, and network with your peers.

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