DIAGNOSTIC SAFETY

PFPS US in action to improve

Diagnostic Safety and Quality

A recent report estimates that 795,000 Americans become permanently disabled or die annually across care settings because dangerous diseases are misdiagnosed. PFPS US is committed to reducing harm from diagnostic errors and has launched a variety of activities to address this sobering data.

New Patient Video on Diagnostic Errors:

"What If?"

Improving Diagnosis for Patient Safety through Patient Stories

English Version

Spanish Version

What is a Diagnostic Error?

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine defined diagnostic error as the failure to (a) establish an accurate and timely explanation of the patient’s health problem(s) or (b) communicate that explanation to the patient.

Simply put, these diagnoses are delayed, wrong, or missed altogether.

These categories overlap, but examples help illustrate some differences:

A delayed diagnosis is a case where the diagnosis should have been made earlier. Delayed diagnosis of cancer is by far the leading entity in this category. A major problem is that there are very few good guidelines for making a timely diagnosis, and many illnesses aren’t suspected until symptoms persist, or worsen.
A wrong diagnosis occurs, for example, if a patient truly having a heart attack is told their pain is from acid indigestion. The original diagnosis is found to be incorrect because the true cause is discovered later.
A missed diagnosis refers to a patient whose medical complaints are never explained. Many patients with chronic fatigue, or chronic pain fall into this category, as well as patients with more specific complaints that are never accurately diagnosed.

PFPS US Activities

Advocacy and Awareness Raising

Participated in Hill briefings and coordinated Hill visits:

To raise awareness about the magnitude of harm from diagnostic and patient safety events
Call for the adoption of the Improving Diagnosis in Medicine Act and other actions by HHS agencies.
Organized three World Patient Safety Day marches to the US Capitol
Coordinated national campaigns to mobilize diverse patients and patient and consumer organizations to participate in HHS public comment in support of federal rule-making related to patient and diagnostic safety
Organize and participate in webinars and podcasts related to diagnostic safety

Thought Leadership

Championed the inclusion of language about diagnostic errors into the Report to the President while serving on the Patient Safety Working Group of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST)
Participated in the Expert Working Group on the Leapfrog Group’s Recognizing Excellence in Diagnosis
Participates in AHRQ’s Diagnostic Safety Working Group
Participates on the National Quality Forum’s Advancing Measurement of Diagnostic Excellence for Better Healthcare
Member of the World Health Organization’s Expert Working Group for World Patient Safety Day (WPSD) 2024 on Improving Diagnostic Safety

Partnering in Research

Participates in 3 AHRQ Grants on Diagnostic Excellence:
Achieving Better Cancer Diagnosis (ABCD): Identifying, Supporting and Learning From Marginalized Patients Who Experience Delayed Cancer Diagnosis (Harvard Medical School for Primary Care)
Safety-II Together: Coupling Teaming Science with Patient Engagement and Health (University of Texas/Harvard Medical School)
The Patient-Partnered Diagnostic Center of Excellence (MedStar)
Participated in the American Academy of Pediatrics and Council of Medical Specialty Societies grant: Improving Diagnostic Excellence in Ambulatory Pediatrics: The Pediatric Quality Minute Series

Diagnostic Safety and Quality

Resources & Toolkits

For Healthcare Systems

Identify challenges and pragmatic strategies for improving diagnostic safety at a system level.
Resources & Toolkits
For Clinicians

Timely and accurate diagnosis is a foundation for good clinical practice.
Resources & Toolkits
For Patients

Optimize diagnostic safety by engaging in your healthcare.
Resources & Toolkits
Patients/Families Stories

Hear from patients/families who have experienced diagnostic errors.
Watch Videos