Abstract
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has released another landmark report to impact the delivery of quality and safe patient care. Diagnostic accuracy is critical to the practice of men’s health. The purpose of this editorial is to review essential elements of the IOM report “Improving Diagnosis in Health Care” (IOM, 2015). It is estimated that about 5% of the U.S. adult population in outpatient care settings experience a diagnostic error. In addition, postmortem examination research identified that about 10% of patient deaths are related to diagnostic error. Medical record review identified that about 6% to 17% of hospital adverse events are related to diagnostic error (IOM, 2015).
Diagnostic error is the failure to establish an accurate and timely diagnosis of the patient’s health problem or failure to communicate the diagnosis to the patient. Diagnostic errors pose risk to the patient’s health by preventing or delaying appropriate medical treatment. These errors not only result in physical and psychological harm but also financial burdens to the patient and health care system.
The diagnostic process depends on (1) clinical history and interview, (2) physical examination, (3) diagnostic testing, and (4) diagnostic referral and consultation. This forms the information gathering aspect of the diagnostic process. The information gathered is integrated and interpreted to formulate a working diagnosis. This working diagnosis is further clarified through the treatment plan implementation and evaluation of patient outcomes. Communication of the diagnosis to other providers, the health care team, and the patient is a critical aspect of the diagnostic process (IOM, 2015).
The IOM has outlined eight goals to reduce diagnostic error and improve patient diagnosis. The eight recommendations that are necessary for men’s health providers are the following (IOM, 2015):
Facilitate more effective teamwork throughout the diagnostic process among health care providers, patients, and the patient’s family and significant others
Enhance health care professionals’ diagnostic process education and training
Ensure that health information technology supports patients and health care providers through the diagnostic process
Develop systems to identify, learn from, and reduce diagnostic errors and near misses in diagnostic processes
Establish a work system and culture that supports quality improvement measures in diagnostic performance
Develop reporting and liability systems that facilitate diagnostic error and near misses in diagnostic error improvements
Design payment and health care delivery systems that support diagnostic processes
Provide dedicated funding that supports research to improve diagnostic processes