Enhancing Diagnostic Accuracy and Patient Safety: Integrating Nursing, Laboratory, Radiology and Sociology Approaches

Abstract

Factors contributing to diagnostic errors are multi-factorial and involve cognitive, system and teamwork issues. Diagnostic errors are a leading cause of patient harm, costing billions annually in medical costs and lost productivity.

This review aimed to develop and evaluate an integrated approach involving nursing, laboratory, radiology and sociology to enhance diagnostic accuracy and patient safety.

Nurses, laboratory technicians, radiologists, and sociologists each provide unique contributions to the diagnostic process and patient care. Nurses spend significant time with patients and are well-positioned to detect subtle clinical changes laboratory technicians and radiologists have specialized expertise in test interpretation critical to diagnosis anyd Sociologists provide insights into social determinants influencing presentation and outcomes.  By integrating these perspectives from the start, more comprehensive patient data can be gathered and shared. 

Standardizing protocols for hand-offs, abnormal result follow-up, seeking additional input, and escalating uncertain cases promotes effective interprofessional collaboration. This allows teams to communicate more efficiently, catch errors others may miss, and arrive at faster, more accurate diagnoses by combining insights.