CDC’s Core Elements to promote diagnostic excellence

Daniel J. Morgan; Hardeep Singh; Arjun Srinivasan; Andrea Bradford; L. Clifford McDonald; Preeta K. Kutty

doi:10.1515/dx-2024-0163

Article

CDC’s Core Elements to promote diagnostic excellence

Daniel J. Morgan , Hardeep Singh , Arjun Srinivasan , Andrea Bradford , L. Clifford McDonald and Preeta K. Kutty

Published/Copyright: November 28, 2024

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From the journal Diagnosis Volume 12 Issue 2

Abstract

Nearly a decade after the National Academy of Medicine released the “Improving Diagnosis in Health Care” report, diagnostic errors remain common, often leading to physical, psychological, emotional, and financial harm. Despite a robust body of research on potential solutions and next steps, the translation of these efforts to patient care has been limited. Improvement initiatives are still narrowly focused on selective themes such as diagnostic stewardship, preventing overdiagnosis, and enhancing clinical reasoning without comprehensively addressing vulnerable systems and processes surrounding diagnosis. To close this implementation gap, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the Core Elements of Hospital Diagnostic Excellence programs on September 17, 2024. This initiative aligns with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2024 World Patient Safety Day focus on improving diagnosis. These Core Elements provide guidance for the formation of hospital programs to improve diagnosis and aim to integrate various disparate efforts in hospitals. By creating a shared mental model of diagnostic excellence, the Core Elements of Diagnostic Excellence supports actions to break down silos, guide hospitals toward multidisciplinary diagnostic excellence teams, and provide a foundation for building diagnostic excellence programs in hospitals.

Keywords: diagnostic excellence; diagnosis; Core Elements

Corresponding author: Daniel J. Morgan, MD, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine and VA Maryland Healthcare System, Baltimore, MD, USA, E-mail: dmorgan@som.umaryland.edu

Research ethics: Not applicable.
Informed consent: Not applicable.
Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
Use of Large Language Models, AI and Machine Learning Tools: Not declared.
Conflict of interest: (All outside the submitted work). All authors contributed to the development of the Core Elements. Dr. Morgan is funded by the Veterans Administration (VA) Health Services Research (HSR), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Singh is funded by the Houston Veterans Administration (VA) Health Services Research and Development (HSR&D) Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness, and Safety (CIN13–413), the VA National Center for Patient Safety, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (R01HS028595 and R18HS029347). Dr. Bradford is supported by grant no. 1R01HS029318-01A1 from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Drs. Srinivasan, McDonald, and Kutty – none reported.
Research funding: None declared.
Data availability: Not applicable.

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Received: 2024-10-02

Accepted: 2024-11-01

Published Online: 2024-11-28

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/dx-2024-0163

Keywords for this article

diagnostic excellence; diagnosis; Core Elements