Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: NASEM) highlighted the substantial patient safety and economic impact of diagnostic errors in their report, "Improving Diagnosis in Health Care."Diagnostic error is defined by the committee as "a failure to establish an accurate and timely explanation of the patient's health problem(s) or communicate that explanation to the patient."1If we accept this definition, then emergency departments (EDs) are arguably the only settings where the NASEM framework applies to nearly every patient-provider encounter.With ~140 million annual ED visits, 2 ED providers make critical gatekeeping decisions regarding the safest and most appropriate ways to care for each patient with far-reaching implications for both individuals and the entire health care system.EDs also serve as the sole access point to health care acting as a safety net for the most vulnerable among us, namely the indigent, uninsured, elderly, children, and minority communities.However, EDs face challenges such as overutilization, decreased functional capacity from admitted patients awaiting an inpatient bed, and financial pressures leading to closures.The NASEM concluded that the nation's emergency medical system is overburdened, underfunded, and highly fragmented.3 Unfortunately, emergency
Source: Academic Emergency Medicine
DOI: 10.1111/acem.15033
Author: Prashant Mahajan
Institutions: University of Michigan, Michigan Medicine
Language: English
Subfield: Family Practice
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,710
OpenAlex ID: W4403616625