Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27347474›Full record

ArticleDiagnosis (Berlin, Germany)2016

Online public reactions to frequency of diagnostic errors in US outpatient care.

Traber Davis Giardina, Urmimala Sarkar, Gato Gourley, Varsha Modi, Ashley N D Meyer, Hardeep Singh

Registry-linked trialAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Diagnosis (Berlin, Germany), 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT01710293 (Automated Point-of-Care Surveillance of Outpatient Delays in Cancer Diagnosis), which is not on this map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT01710293 nawithdrawnnot on this mapstarted 2017, after this paper: background citation

Automated Point-of-Care Surveillance of Outpatient Delays in Cancer Diagnosis

TypeinterventionalSponsorVA Office of Research and DevelopmentRan2017 to 2017Enrolled0ConditionsLung Cancer, Bladder Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Hepatocellular CarcinomaArmsCommunication of Patients Lost to Follow-up to Providers
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Online public response to emergency department diagnostic error report: A qualitative study.Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine · 2025
    Article
  2. Clinical Reasoning in Cardiology: Past, Present and Future.Arquivos brasileiros de cardiologia · 2022
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Traber Davis GiardinaHouston VA HSR&D Center for Innovations, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center (152) and the Section of Health Services Research, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, 2002 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Urmimala SarkarUCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations, San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Gato GourleyUCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations, San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Varsha ModiHouston VA HSR&D Center for Innovations, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the Section of Health Services Research, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
Ashley N D MeyerHouston VA HSR&D Center for Innovations, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the Section of Health Services Research, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
Hardeep SinghHouston VA HSR&D Center for Innovations, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the Section of Health Services Research, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.

Funding

Building an Ambulatory Patient Safety Learning Laboratory for Diverse PopulationsP30HS023558 · AHRQ · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI SARKAR, URMIMALA · 2014 to 2017
$3.9M
Reducing Missed And Delayed Diagnoses In Cancer: Lessons From AviationK23CA125585 · NCI · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · PI SINGH, HARDEEP · 2007 to 2011
$709k
AHRQ HHS P30 HS023558AHRQ HHS R01 HS022087AHRQ HHS R21 HS023602NCI NIH HHS K23 CA125585
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDiagnostic errors pose a significant threat to patient safety but little is known about public perceptions of diagnostic errors. A study published in

methodsWe searched the World Wide Web for any news article reporting findings from the study. We then gathered all the online comments made in response to the news articles to evaluate public reaction to the newly reported diagnostic error frequency (n=241). Two coders conducted content analyses of the comments and an experienced qualitative researcher resolved differences.

resultsOverall, there were few comments made regarding the frequency of diagnostic errors. However, in response to the media coverage, 44 commenters shared personal experiences of diagnostic errors. Additionally, commentary centered on diagnosis-related quality of care as affected by two emergent categories: (1) US health care providers (n=79; 63 commenters) and (2) US health care reform-related policies, most commonly the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and insurance/reimbursement issues (n=62; 47 commenters).

conclusionThe public appears to have substantial concerns about the impact of the ACA and other reform initiatives on the diagnosis-related quality of care. However, policy discussions on diagnostic errors are largely absent from the current national conversation on improving quality and safety. Because outpatient diagnostic errors have emerged as a major safety concern, researchers and policymakers should consider evaluating the effects of policy and practice changes on diagnostic accuracy.

Indexed as

diagnostic error burdenpublic perceptions

Identifiers

PMID27347474
PMCPMC4917213

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.