Diagnostic errors and missed diagnoses are common in pediatric practices, according to an AHRQ-funded study. Researchers analyzed data from 25 pediatric practices during a 5-month period in 2015. They found diagnostic error rates of 54 percent for pediatric patients with elevated blood pressure and 11 percent for patients with abnormal laboratory values. The rate of missed opportunities to evaluate adolescents for depression was 62 percent. The results were among the first to provide national estimates on the frequency of pediatric diagnostic errors and missed opportunities for diagnosis. Study authors concluded that practitioners should work to measure and reduce these high-frequency errors to avoid care delays and patient harm.
Read more:
- Diagnostic Errors in Primary Care Pediatrics: Project RedDE. Academic Pediatrics. 2017 Aug 10