Webinars On-Demand

Preventing Diagnostic Error in the Emergency Department

CATEGORY: Diagnosis Error, On Demand, Webinars
RECORDED: February 8, 2019
Laurie Drill-Mellum, MD, MPH; Carolyn McClain, MD


Diagnostic error is a frequent and costly allegation in emergency medicine and hospital professional liability claims. In our analysis of Constellation claims originating in the hospital, the emergency department (ED) was the top location in total incurred cost. The leading cause of injury and claims are clinical judgment factors in patient assessment, including delay or failure to order tests, premature discharge and narrow diagnostic focus.

Contributing to 36 percent of cases are failures in follow-up and care coordination, revealing that even when appropriate clinical steps are taken to lead to a correct diagnosis, errors in diagnosis still occur due to follow-up system failures. This webinar is a must-see for administrators looking to understand and tackle the problem of diagnostic error in ED.