Diagnosis is now indexed in PubMed

There is growing appreciation that breakdowns in the diagnostic process can lead to a staggering toll of patient harm, and may sometimes be lethal [1], [2], [3], [4]. Although the burden of diagnostic errors cannot be easily gaged, research studies of different types point to an error rate of 10–15% of cases in primary care settings [1], making the fight against diagnostic errors a leading health care issue [5], [6]. The problem of diagnostic error has been highlighted in landmark reports from the US National Academy of Medicine [7], by the World Health Organization (WHO) [8], [9], and by other national and international organizations [10].

Diagnosis, the official journal of the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine (SIDM), published its first issue in January 2014. The stated aim of the journal was to “shine a light on diagnosis and diagnostic error and spark creative dialogue on both topics” and “….expand the community of individuals and stakeholder groups interested in joining this discussion” [11]. Towards that aim, the journal has published original research, reviews and editorials from a wide range of stakeholders. The inaugural issue was an impressive collection of 30 essays from thought leaders in the field. Articles to date have focused on factors promoting an enhancement of diagnostic quality and safety, including appropriateness of diagnostic testing [12], and consideration of human factors, cognitive issues and clinical reasoning and system-related weaknesses contributing to diagnostic errors. Special issues have focused on diagnosis and diagnostic error in Radiology, and in regard to acute coronary syndrome. Diagnosis is also the venue for publication of abstracts presented at the annual Diagnostic Error in Medicine Conferences.

All articles published to date have been indexed in the Web of Science (WOS), and for the first 2 years were published open-access. As a next step in the evolving growth of the journal, articles published in Diagnosis will now be also indexed in PubMed. For those who may be less familiar with biomedical databases, PubMed is a free search engine based on the MEDLINE database of references and abstracts on life sciences and biomedical topics, maintained by the US National Library of Medicine (NLM) [13]. The origin of this scientific search engine dates back to 1971, when the NLM launched MEDLINE, the first interactive, searchable medical database. In 1996, articles published between 1950 and 1965 and formerly covered by the “Old Medline” database were incorporated, and 1 year later, in 1997, the PubMed interface was made widely available on the Internet [14]. PubMed is generally considered the most convenient and effective biomedical platform for conducing efficient searches, for obtaining information on evidence-based research, and for educating and guiding clinical decision making [15].

The current PubMed databases contains over 27 million citations for biomedical literature from over 5600 journals and online books. Notably, recent statistics attests that PubMed is the most frequently accessed scientific search engine in European countries [16], as well as in many other countries worldwide [14]. Journals applying for listing are judged on 20 different metrics in regard to the quality of accepted articles, the quality of editorial review and publication, importance to the field and adherence to best publication practices and principles. On a scale of 1–5, journals must score at least 3.75 for listing. PubMed indexing attests to the reliability of accepted journals, and creates the opportunity for increasing both the visibility and the popularity of indexed journals worldwide. We are pleased to see strong growth in citations to Diagnosis articles (Figure 1), and this trend should accelerate with PubMed accessibility.

Figure 1:

Web of Science (WOS) citations to articles published in Diagnosis since the first issue.

Successful coverage of Diagnosis articles in the prestigious PubMed database represents a significant accomplishment for our young journal, and we hope that all our readers will be as enthusiastic as we are for this milestone in the journal’s history.