IHI to host New Ways to Reduce Diagnosis Errors

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement will host a free audio program, New Ways to Reduce Diagnosis Errors on November 5 at 2 pm, featuring Gordon Schiff MD, from the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Pat Croskerry from Nova Scotia.

It’s an all too familiar story: The initial diagnosis of a patient’s condition turns out to be wrong; or there’s an incorrect interpretation of a test result; or a patient never learns of a test result; or a physician relies too much on memory to form a diagnostic opinion, forgetting about other important clues. Each of these diagnosis errors can be traced back to a system failure or an overreliance on cognitive skills (ignoring decision supports), and often, both. Thankfully, many years’ worth of robust research on diagnosis errors is finally receiving greater attention, and is starting to lay the groundwork for improvement across the US and internationally.Gordon Schiff and Pat Croskerry are among the leading-edge researchers helping to frame the problems and shape the strategies that are most likely to reduce diagnosis errors. WIHI host, Madge Kaplan, is thrilled to welcome them to the program to share their ideas, and to point to people and places developing and deploying better processes for providers and patients alike. Multiple stakeholders in health care have a role to play, including WIHI participants. Join us on November 5.