Download or read book Improving Diagnosis in Health Care written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2015-12-29 with total page 473 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Getting the right diagnosis is a key aspect of health care - it provides an explanation of a patient's health problem and informs subsequent health care decisions. The diagnostic process is a complex, collaborative activity that involves clinical reasoning and information gathering to determine a patient's health problem. According to Improving Diagnosis in Health Care, diagnostic errors-inaccurate or delayed diagnoses-persist throughout all settings of care and continue to harm an unacceptable number of patients. It is likely that most people will experience at least one diagnostic error in their lifetime, sometimes with devastating consequences. Diagnostic errors may cause harm to patients by preventing or delaying appropriate treatment, providing unnecessary or harmful treatment, or resulting in psychological or financial repercussions. The committee concluded that improving the diagnostic process is not only possible, but also represents a moral, professional, and public health imperative. Improving Diagnosis in Health Care, a continuation of the landmark Institute of Medicine reports To Err Is Human (2000) and Crossing the Quality Chasm (2001), finds that diagnosis-and, in particular, the occurrence of diagnostic errorsâ€"has been largely unappreciated in efforts to improve the quality and safety of health care. Without a dedicated focus on improving diagnosis, diagnostic errors will likely worsen as the delivery of health care and the diagnostic process continue to increase in complexity. Just as the diagnostic process is a collaborative activity, improving diagnosis will require collaboration and a widespread commitment to change among health care professionals, health care organizations, patients and their families, researchers, and policy makers. The recommendations of Improving Diagnosis in Health Care contribute to the growing momentum for change in this crucial area of health care quality and safety.
Download or read book Advances in Patient Safety written by Kerm Henriksen and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 526 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: v. 1. Research findings -- v. 2. Concepts and methodology -- v. 3. Implementation issues -- v. 4. Programs, tools and products.
Download or read book To Err Is Human written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2000-03-01 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Experts estimate that as many as 98,000 people die in any given year from medical errors that occur in hospitals. That's more than die from motor vehicle accidents, breast cancer, or AIDSâ€"three causes that receive far more public attention. Indeed, more people die annually from medication errors than from workplace injuries. Add the financial cost to the human tragedy, and medical error easily rises to the top ranks of urgent, widespread public problems. To Err Is Human breaks the silence that has surrounded medical errors and their consequenceâ€"but not by pointing fingers at caring health care professionals who make honest mistakes. After all, to err is human. Instead, this book sets forth a national agendaâ€"with state and local implicationsâ€"for reducing medical errors and improving patient safety through the design of a safer health system. This volume reveals the often startling statistics of medical error and the disparity between the incidence of error and public perception of it, given many patients' expectations that the medical profession always performs perfectly. A careful examination is made of how the surrounding forces of legislation, regulation, and market activity influence the quality of care provided by health care organizations and then looks at their handling of medical mistakes. Using a detailed case study, the book reviews the current understanding of why these mistakes happen. A key theme is that legitimate liability concerns discourage reporting of errorsâ€"which begs the question, "How can we learn from our mistakes?" Balancing regulatory versus market-based initiatives and public versus private efforts, the Institute of Medicine presents wide-ranging recommendations for improving patient safety, in the areas of leadership, improved data collection and analysis, and development of effective systems at the level of direct patient care. To Err Is Human asserts that the problem is not bad people in health careâ€"it is that good people are working in bad systems that need to be made safer. Comprehensive and straightforward, this book offers a clear prescription for raising the level of patient safety in American health care. It also explains how patients themselves can influence the quality of care that they receive once they check into the hospital. This book will be vitally important to federal, state, and local health policy makers and regulators, health professional licensing officials, hospital administrators, medical educators and students, health caregivers, health journalists, patient advocatesâ€"as well as patients themselves. First in a series of publications from the Quality of Health Care in America, a project initiated by the Institute of Medicine
Download or read book Cognitive Errors and Diagnostic Mistakes written by Jonathan Howard and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-11-28 with total page 589 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This case-based book illustrates and explores common cognitive biases and their consequences in the practice of medicine. The book begins with an introduction that explains the concept of cognitive errors and their importance in clinical medicine and current controversies within healthcare. The core of the book features chapters dedicated to particular cognitive biases; cases are presented and followed by a discussion of the clinician's rationale and an overview of the particular cognitive bias. Engaging and easy to read, this text provides strategies on minimizing cognitive errors in various medical and professional settings.
Download or read book Errors in Radiology written by Luigia Romano and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-07-20 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Diagnostic errors are important in all branches of medicine because they are an indication of poor patient care. As the number of malpractice cases continues to grow, radiologists will become increasingly involved in litigation. The aetiology of radiological error is multi-factorial. This book focuses on (1) some medico-legal aspects inherent to radiology (radiation exposure related to imaging procedures and malpractice issues related to contrast media administration are discussed in detail) and on (2) the spectrum of diagnostic errors in radiology. Communication issues between the radiologists and physicians and between the radiologists and patients are also presented. Every radiologist should understand the sources of error in diagnostic radiology as well as the elements of negligence that form the basis of malpractice litigation.
Download or read book Overdiagnosed written by H. Gilbert Welch and published by Beacon Press. This book was released on 2012-01-03 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An exposé on Big Pharma and the American healthcare system’s zeal for excessive medical testing, from a nationally recognized expert More screening doesn’t lead to better health—but can turn healthy people into patients. Going against the conventional wisdom reinforced by the medical establishment and Big Pharma that more screening is the best preventative medicine, Dr. Gilbert Welch builds a compelling counterargument that what we need are fewer, not more, diagnoses. Documenting the excesses of American medical practice that labels far too many of us as sick, Welch examines the social, ethical, and economic ramifications of a health-care system that unnecessarily diagnoses and treats patients, most of whom will not benefit from treatment, might be harmed by it, and would arguably be better off without screening. Drawing on 25 years of medical practice and research on the effects of medical testing, Welch explains in a straightforward, jargon-free style how the cutoffs for treating a person with “abnormal” test results have been drastically lowered just when technological advances have allowed us to see more and more “abnormalities,” many of which will pose fewer health complications than the procedures that ostensibly cure them. Citing studies that show that 10% of 2,000 healthy people were found to have had silent strokes, and that well over half of men over age sixty have traces of prostate cancer but no impairment, Welch reveals overdiagnosis to be rampant for numerous conditions and diseases, including diabetes, high cholesterol, osteoporosis, gallstones, abdominal aortic aneuryisms, blood clots, as well as skin, prostate, breast, and lung cancers. With genetic and prenatal screening now common, patients are being diagnosed not with disease but with “pre-disease” or for being at “high risk” of developing disease. Revealing the economic and medical forces that contribute to overdiagnosis, Welch makes a reasoned call for change that would save us from countless unneeded surgeries, excessive worry, and exorbitant costs, all while maintaining a balanced view of both the potential benefits and harms of diagnosis. Drawing on data, clinical studies, and anecdotes from his own practice, Welch builds a solid, accessible case against the belief that more screening always improves health care.
Download or read book Patient Safety and Quality written by Ronda Hughes and published by Department of Health and Human Services. This book was released on 2008 with total page 592 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Nurses play a vital role in improving the safety and quality of patient car -- not only in the hospital or ambulatory treatment facility, but also of community-based care and the care performed by family members. Nurses need know what proven techniques and interventions they can use to enhance patient outcomes. To address this need, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), with additional funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has prepared this comprehensive, 1,400-page, handbook for nurses on patient safety and quality -- Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. (AHRQ Publication No. 08-0043)." - online AHRQ blurb, http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/nurseshdbk/
Download or read book Clinical Chemistry written by James H. Nichols, PhD, DABCC, FACB and published by Demos Medical Publishing. This book was released on 2013-09-25 with total page 173 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As with other volumes in the Diagnostic Standards of Care series, Clinical Chemistry focuses specifically on understanding potential problems and sources of error in management of the clinical chemistry testing procedures, how to anticipate and avoid such problems, and how to manage them if they occur. The discussions are concise, practical, specific, and problem-based so the book directly addresses the situations and issues faced by the clinical pathologist or other manager or staff member of the chemistry team. Discussion of each problem is augmented by a case discussion giving a real-world example of how the issue can occur and how it can be effectively dealt with by the manager. The goal is to support the pathologist, manager or technologist in providing the highest possible quality of care and effective, timely consultation to the clinical staff. Clinical Chemistry: Diagnostic Standards of Care features: Comprehensive coverage of key issues in achieving quality in all areas of clinical chemistry Includes chapters dedicated to point of care testing, pediatric testing, laboratory information systems and EHR integration, and outreach testing Numerous case examples and discussions give real-world illustrations of how problems occur and how to avoid them Coverage includes perspectives from the lab manager's and administrator's view An emphasis on identifying established, evidence-based standards in clinical chemistry Examples of errors which compromise patient safety across all major areas of clinical chemistry Pocket-sized for portability
Download or read book Error and Uncertainty in Diagnostic Radiology written by Michael A. Bruno and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018-02-08 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past decade, radiological imaging tests - including CT scanning, MRI, PET, X-rays, ultrasound, fluoroscopy and other modalities - have become essential to the routine diagnostic process. While these modern advanced medical images and their striking anatomic detail have discovered underlying issues, they have also contributed to a false impression of infallibility. Unlike other straightforward diagnostic tests, such as the EKG or blood chemistry panel, radiological imaging tests are highly variable and complex, often yielding uncertain results, as well as frequent false-negatives and false-positives. The experts who interpret the images (the diagnostic radiologists) sometimes make mistakes: the practice of diagnostic radiology is a fallible, human endeavour, one involving complex perceptual, neuro-physiological and cognitive processes employed under a wide range of circumstances, and with a great deal of variability. Error and Uncertainty in Diagnostic Radiology opens the 'black box,' of medical imaging, exposing the remarkable inner workings of the process of diagnostic radiology-including how and why it can sometimes go tragically wrong. The occurrence of radiological error is shown to be fundamentally intertwined with the underlying high level of uncertainty known to be present in the diagnostic process. As a foremost expert on radiology quality and safety, Dr. Bruno provides insight into the various types of radiologist error, along with a conceptual framework for understanding error and uncertainty in radiology, leading to practical strategies for error prevention and for reducing the risk of harm to patients when errors inevitably occur. This book is essential for radiologists, members of the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine, emergency physicians, medical educators, medical and hospice administrators, especially quality and safety officers, as well as malpractice insurance carriers.
Download or read book Getting Results written by and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book When We Do Harm written by Danielle Ofri, MD and published by Beacon Press. This book was released on 2020-03-23 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Medical mistakes are more pervasive than we think. How can we improve outcomes? An acclaimed MD’s rich stories and research explore patient safety. Patients enter the medical system with faith that they will receive the best care possible, so when things go wrong, it’s a profound and painful breach. Medical science has made enormous strides in decreasing mortality and suffering, but there’s no doubt that treatment can also cause harm, a significant portion of which is preventable. In When We Do Harm, practicing physician and acclaimed author Danielle Ofri places the issues of medical error and patient safety front and center in our national healthcare conversation. Drawing on current research, professional experience, and extensive interviews with nurses, physicians, administrators, researchers, patients, and families, Dr. Ofri explores the diagnostic, systemic, and cognitive causes of medical error. She advocates for strategic use of concrete safety interventions such as checklists and improvements to the electronic medical record, but focuses on the full-scale cultural and cognitive shifts required to make a meaningful dent in medical error. Woven throughout the book are the powerfully human stories that Dr. Ofri is renowned for. The errors she dissects range from the hardly noticeable missteps to the harrowing medical cataclysms. While our healthcare system is—and always will be—imperfect, Dr. Ofri argues that it is possible to minimize preventable harms, and that this should be the galvanizing issue of current medical discourse.
Download or read book Diagnostic Principles and Applications written by Robert B. Taylor and published by Springer. This book was released on 2013-03-01 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book fills the need for a resource presenting important diagnostic facts that clinicians should have learned during their classroom lectures and subsequent clinical training, but often didn’t. The content will be literature-based information that can help the clinician avoid diagnostic errors. Most other diagnosis books on the market are either “physical diagnosis” texts targeting student readers or “differential diagnosis” books intended for use by practicing physicians, though both types of books aim to be comprehensive. What sets this book apart from other diagnosis books is that it is a curated collection of facts, tailored specifically to address common gaps in clinical knowledge and describe less-traveled pathways to important diagnostic destinations. This book focuses on high-impact techniques. Essential Diagnostic Facts Every Clinician Should Know contains: -Classical diagnostic pearls clinicians should have learned in physical diagnosis courses. For example, a patient with acute pericarditis may find that leaning forward relieves the pain. -Red flag symptoms of serious disease. For example, an infant that tastes salty when kissed might be the first clue to a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis. -Pathognomonic signs allowing an occasional early diagnosis: For example, Koplik spots in a febrile child are found only with measles. -Plastic pearls exposed: For example, contrary to clinical lore, back pain at night has not been found to be a useful indicator for serious spinal pathology. -Counterintuitive clinical manifestations: For example, the patient with gout may have a normal or even low serum uric acid level during an acute attack. -Clinical manifestations that may point to uncommon diagnoses: For example, nocturnal bone pain, sometimes dramatically relieved by aspirin, characterizes osteoid osteoma.
Download or read book Preventing Medication Errors written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2007-01-11 with total page 481 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1996 the Institute of Medicine launched the Quality Chasm Series, a series of reports focused on assessing and improving the nation's quality of health care. Preventing Medication Errors is the newest volume in the series. Responding to the key messages in earlier volumes of the seriesâ€"To Err Is Human (2000), Crossing the Quality Chasm (2001), and Patient Safety (2004)â€"this book sets forth an agenda for improving the safety of medication use. It begins by providing an overview of the system for drug development, regulation, distribution, and use. Preventing Medication Errors also examines the peer-reviewed literature on the incidence and the cost of medication errors and the effectiveness of error prevention strategies. Presenting data that will foster the reduction of medication errors, the book provides action agendas detailing the measures needed to improve the safety of medication use in both the short- and long-term. Patients, primary health care providers, health care organizations, purchasers of group health care, legislators, and those affiliated with providing medications and medication- related products and services will benefit from this guide to reducing medication errors.
Download or read book Oxford Handbook of Clinical Diagnosis written by Huw Llewelyn and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2014 with total page 683 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This handbook describes the diagnostic process clearly and logically, aiding medical students and others who wish to improve their diagnostic performance and to learn more about the diagnostic process.
Download or read book Understanding Patient Safety Second Edition written by Robert Wachter and published by McGraw Hill Professional. This book was released on 2012-05-23 with total page 501 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Complete coverage of the core principles of patient safety Understanding Patient Safety, 2e is the essential text for anyone wishing to learn the key clinical, organizational, and systems issues in patient safety.The book is filled with valuable cases and analyses, as well as up-to-date tables, graphics, references, and tools -- all designed to introduce the patient safety field to medical trainees, and be the go-to book for experienced clinicians and non-clinicians alike. Features NEW chapter on the critically important role of checklists in medical practice NEW case examples throughout Expanded coverage of the role of computers in patient safety and outcomes Expanded coverage of new patient initiatives from the Joint Commission
Download or read book The Cognitive Autopsy written by Pat Croskerry and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2020-05-22 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Behind heart disease and cancer, medical error is now listed as one of the leading causes of death. Of the many medical errors that may lead to injury and death, diagnostic failure is regarded as the most significant. Generally, the majority of diagnostic failures are attributed to the clinicians directly involved with the patient, and to a lesser extent, the system in which they work. In turn, the majority of errors made by clinicians are due to decision making failures manifested by various departures from rationality. Of all the medical environments in which patients are seen and diagnosed, the emergency department is the most challenging. It has been described as a "wicked" environment where illness and disease may range from minor ailments and complaints to severe, life-threatening disorders. The Cognitive Autopsy is a novel strategy towards understanding medical error and diagnostic failure in 42 clinical cases with which the author was directly involved or became aware of at the time. Essentially, it describes a cognitive approach towards root cause analysis of medical adverse events or near misses. Whereas root cause analysis typically focuses on the observable and measurable aspects of adverse events, the cognitive autopsy attempts to identify covert cognitive processes that may have contributed to outcomes. In this clinical setting, no cognitive process is directly observable but must be inferred from the behavior of the individual clinician. The book illustrates unequivocally that chief among these cognitive processes are cognitive biases and other flaws in decision making, rather than knowledge deficits.
Download or read book Physician s Guide to the Laboratory Diagnosis of Metabolic Diseases written by N. Blau and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 732 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This second edition of The Physician's Guide provides paediatricians and other physicians with a unique aid to help them select the correct diagnosis from a bewildering array of complex clinical and laboratory data. Delay and mistakes in the diagnosis of inherited metabolic diseases may have devastating consequences. The guide, which includes a CD-ROM, describes 298 disorders which have been grouped into 35 chapters according to the type of condition. Within each group of disorders, chapters provide tables of pertinent clinical findings as well as reference and pathological values for crucial metabolites. Relevant metabolic pathways and diagnostic flow charts are included. There are three indices to make the book as user-friendly as possible.
