Diagnostic error impacts millions of US adults and children every year^1,2.  Failure to order an appropriate diagnostic test and incorrect interpretation of diagnostic test results are common breakdowns in the diagnostic process³.  The Clinical Laboratory Integration into Healthcare Collaborative (CLIHC) ^TM, supported by the Division of Laboratory Systems at CDC, is addressing diagnostic error using several approaches.  The session will provide information on the frequency of the errors and the impact on patient outcomes.   Participants will learn about causes of diagnostic errors and strategies for reducing them.  Participants will also learn about CLIHC^TM initiatives to identify gaps that exist in laboratory medicine training in medical schools and approaches being developed to promote appropriate test utilization, such as the use of test algorithms and mobile applications for test selection.    

Learning Objectives:
1)    Describe the frequency of diagnostic errors and the impact on patient outcomes
2)    Discuss healthcare system failures that may contribute to diagnostic errors 
3)    Identify at least three ways to reduce diagnostic errors 

References:

1. IOM. Improving Diagnosis in Health Care. Institute of Medicine, 2015.
2. Singh, H, Meyer, A., Thomas, E,. The frequency of diagnostic errors in outpatient care: estimations from three large observational studies involving US adult populations. BMJ Qual Saf, 0: 1 – 5, 2014
3. Strategies, C. Malpractice risks in the diagnostic process. 2014