Analysis of diagnostic error cases among Japanese residents using diagnosis error evaluation and research taxonomy

Taku Harada; Taiju Miyagami; Takashi Watari; Tetsuya Hiyoshi; Kotaro Kunitomo; Takahiro Tsuji; Taro Shimizu

doi:10.1002/jgf2.388

Analysis of diagnostic error cases among Japanese residents using diagnosis error evaluation and research taxonomy

J Gen Fam Med. 2021 Jan 4;22(2):96-99. doi: 10.1002/jgf2.388. eCollection 2021 Mar.

Authors

Taku Harada^{1

2}, Taiju Miyagami³, Takashi Watari⁴, Tetsuya Hiyoshi⁵, Kotaro Kunitomo⁶, Takahiro Tsuji⁶, Taro Shimizu²

Affiliations

¹ Division of General Medicine Showa University Koto Toyosu Hospital Tokyo Japan.
² Diagnostic and Generalist Medicine Dokkyo Medical University Hospital Tochigi Japan.
³ Department of General Medicine Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine Tokyo Japan.
⁴ Postgraduate Clinical Training Centre Shimane University Hospital Shimane Japan.
⁵ Department of General medicine Fukuoka University Hospital Fukuoka Japan.
⁶ Department of Internal Medicine Kumamoto Medical Center Kumamoto Japan.

Abstract

The process of diagnostic errors among Japanese residents has not been previously studied. This descriptive study was conducted in June 2019 on junior residents at a single-center educational hospital in Japan. Diagnosis Error Evaluation and Research taxonomy was used to measure the process of diagnostic error in the most memorable error cases. High frequency of diagnostic errors resulted from inaccurate/misinterpretation of history, failure/delay in eliciting physical examination findings, inaccurate/misinterpretation of physical examination, failure in weighting of physical examination, and failure/delay in considering the diagnosis. Residents made diagnostic errors mainly during history taking, physical examination, and assessment.

Keywords: diagnostic error; diagnostic process; diagnostic reasoning.