Patient-clinician diagnostic concordance upon hospital admission. November 6, 2024

https://psnet.ahrq.gov/issue/patient-clinician-diagnostic-concordance-upon-hospital-admission Patient-clinician diagnostic concordance upon hospital admission. Lam A, Plombon S, Garber A, et al. Appl Clin Inform. 2024;15(4):733-742. The failure of a provider to communicate the diagnosis to the patient is a diagnostic error. This communication includes not only telling the patient what their diagnosis is but also ensuring they understand it. In this study, hospitalized patients were asked if "the healthcare team told you the main reason you're in the hospital (your diagnosis) in a way you understand" and their level of confidence in the diagnosis. Just under half of patients reported the same diagnosis as indicated in the electronic health record (EHR), ie, diagnostic concordance. Patients admitted with nonspecific symptoms ("R-codes") and those reporting less confidence in their diagnosis experienced lower diagnostic concordance. Non-English speakers were not included in the study, which the authors recognize as a limitation as this population is particularly vulnerable to suboptimal communication and misdiagnosis.