SIDM2022 Conference Summit Summaries
Patient Summit
By Suz Schrandt
Each year, SIDM brings together hundreds of individuals and groups from the diagnostic safety community to the Diagnostic Errors in Medicine conference to share best practices, galvanize partnerships, and collectively advocate to move the field forward to keep patients and families safe from harm. A hallmark of the conference is the Patient Summit, a “by patients, for patients” event, created and hosted by those personally affected by diagnostic error.
The goal of this year's Patient Summit was to brainstorm solutions to the difficult challenges we face with diagnoses and to leave with tangible solutions to improve health outcomes. It was an interactive, problem-solving workshop, that required everyone’s input to achieve the best possible solutions. We looked at what broke and how we might fix it.
Three patients who have all experienced significant harm from diagnostic error shared their stories, along with input from clinical and research experts. The exchange offered insight and a better understanding of the collaboration needed when working toward the right diagnosis. We need every viewpoint in the room—patients, clinicians, researchers, and other important healthcare stakeholders.
Interestingly, the group of diagnosis experts at the Research and Education Summit also looked at the role of teamwork in solving diagnostic puzzles.
Our sincere thank you to Jennifer Andrashko, Wanda Tswago, and Charity Watkins for sharing their stories and for being such powerful patient advocates and champions for excellence in diagnosis.
Diagnostic Quality Improvement Summit
By Gerard M. Castro, PhD, MPH, PMP, Director of Quality Improvement
Preceding the 2022 SIDM Annual Meeting, Cohort 2 DxQI Seed Grant recipients were invited to participate in person and virtually in the SIDM’s Diagnostic Quality Improvement Summit to present their work. The purpose of the summit was to provide practitioners, researchers, and partners the opportunity to share and learn about diagnostic quality improvement interventions and methods, results, and implementation insights to support the adaptation and adoption of interventions that improve the diagnostic process and reduce patient harm. In addition to Cohort 2 grantees, SIDM Practice Improvement Committee members, grant reviewers, recently awarded Cohort 3 DxQI Seed Grant recipients, and special guest speakers Drs. Ian Cormack and Linda Cormack from Croydon University Hospital in the United Kingdom participated in the summit.
Ian and Linda are part of a multi-disciplinary team that was recently recognized with the UNIVANTS of Healthcare Excellence Award and shared the success of their program “Sustained 97% Opt-out HIV Testing in the Emergency Department: Getting to Zero AIDS.” Considering the prevalence of HIV in their community, the team implemented an early diagnosis program that consisted of a change to opt-out HIV testing in their ED. They have not only sustained a 97% testing rate for patients over 18 months but also tripled the diagnosis of HIV reducing hospitalizations and deaths associated with AIDS as well as reducing partner transmission. Based on the success of their program, the initiative will be expanded across the UK.
The Cohort 2 grantees then had the opportunity to participate in panel discussions where they shared their project results and invited in-person and online questions from participants. In lieu of slide presentations, grantees were asked to prepare short videos (less than 5 minutes) to share their results. Despite challenges associated with the COVID pandemic and the struggle with competing priorities and resources experienced by all grantees, the Diagnostic Quality Improvement Summit was a celebration of their successes and recognition of the potential of small quality improvement projects to lead to great outcomes.
Research and Education Summit
By Andrew Olson, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Minnesota
The 2022 SIDM Research and Education Summit was held at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital Wilf Family Center. The Summit brought together approximately 30 of the leading experts in diagnostic quality and safety as well as medical education to discuss the future of teamwork in diagnosis education and research. A series of facilitated conversations was convened as part of a modified Delphi process that began prior to the session. The information gathered will be used to inform the remainder of a Delphi process focused on establishing priorities for research and education with respect to diagnosis teamwork.
In addition, the SIDM 2022-2023 Fellows in Diagnostic Excellence presented their project plans and received critique, support, and feedback.