Unexplained Symptoms: When Diagnostic Uncertainty Becomes a Diagnosis
By Susan Carr
By its nature, medically unexplained symptoms is a condition that is difficult to identify, classify, and manage. It is ill-defined, varied in its presentation, and often unrecognized by patients as a diagnosis in itself.
Diagnosis Education – A Pathway to Improving Diagnosis
As summarized in the landmark report from the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), Improving Diagnosis in Health Care, our current education system generates clinicians who get the diagnosis right roughly 90% of the time. The report and its recommendation to improve education, along with the growing interest in diagnosis and diagnostic error more generally, provide the impetus for renewed attention to what is taught today and how it can be improved.
Addressing the Disparities Gap in Diagnosis
Patients entering the diagnostic process exhibit several highly visible risk factors—eg, age, race/ethnicity, and sex—that affect efficient and accurate diagnostic decision-making. Yet there have not been focused efforts to understand how these factors impact symptoms, test results, and diagnosis.
From the Field: PAIRED Patient Discusses Diagnostic Error on Maternal Sepsis Day
On May 15, 2019, the Sepsis Alliance launched Maternal Sepsis Day “to raise awareness of the unique signs and symptoms of maternal sepsis.” To help others understand the importance of a timely and accurate sepsis diagnosis, PAIRED patient Sarah Kiehl shared her story online.
Did You Know?
Every nine minutes, someone in a U.S. hospital dies due to a medical diagnosis that was wrong or delayed. Your donation today will help us improve the accuracy and timeliness of diagnosis and continue our vision in creating a world where no patients are harmed by diagnostic error.