[Diagnostic Errors in Medicine]

Abstract

The recognition of diagnostic errors in everyday practice can help improve patient safety. The most common diagnostic errors are the cognitive errors, followed by system-related errors and no fault errors. The cognitive errors often result from mental shortcuts, known as heuristics. The rate of cognitive errors can be reduced by a better understanding of heuristics and the use of checklists. The autopsy as a retrospective quality assessment of clinical diagnosis has a crucial role in learning from diagnostic errors. Diagnostic errors occur more often in primary care in comparison to hospital settings. On the other hand, the inpatient errors are more severe than the outpatient errors.

Keywords: Autopsien; Heuristiken; Systemfehler; autopsies; diagnostic errors; diagnostische Fehler; erreurs de système; erreurs diagnostiques; heuristics; mécanismes heuristiques; system-related errors.