On Tuesday, September 22, The Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Diagnostic Error in Health Care released its new report, Improving Diagnosis in Health Care, concluding that diagnosis—and, in particular, the occurrence of diagnostic errors—has been “largely unappreciated in efforts to improve the quality and safety of health care.”
During Tuesday’s public release committee members, including Dr. George Thibault, discussed recommendations for how best to improve diagnosis, including facilitating more effective teamwork among health care professionals, patients, and their families, and enhancing health professions education and training in the diagnostic process.
“One of the revelations of this report is that diagnosis is a team process,” Dr. Thibault said during Tuesday’s announcement. “Interprofessional and interdisciplinary education are an essential part of the education process that we believe will lead to better communication and improve diagnosis.”
Watch Tuesday’s full panel discussion below, which includes video stories from real patients who have been misdiagnosed: