The Opportunity

Diagnostic errors are defined as the failure to establish or communicate an accurate and timely assessment of the patient’s health problem. Diagnostic errors persist through all care settings and can result in physical, psychological, or financial repercussions for the patient. While most people will experience at least one diagnostic error in their lifetime, the challenge in recognizing and defining a diagnostic error has left a gap in quality improvement and measurement. Recognizing that healthcare is an evolving, complex system performance, NQF will engage stakeholders from across the spectrum to explore the complex intersection of issues related to diagnostic error.

Objectives

NQF will convene a Committee to develop a conceptual framework utilizing the evidence, concepts, and models contained in the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Improving Diagnosis in Health Care report. The purpose of this work is to identify measures in development, testing, and in use and make recommendations for the development of priority measures to address measurement gaps in diagnostic accuracy.

Funding

This project is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Contact Information

For more information, please contact Christy Skipper at 202.783.1300 or via email at diagnosticaccuracy@qualityforum.org.