The 1999 report To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System exposed the issue of patient safety in health care and was the first in a series of reports from the Institute of Medicine’s Health Care Quality Initiative to assess and improve the nation’s quality of care. A new report in that series from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine examines inaccurate or delayed diagnoses — known as diagnostic errors — in health care and provides recommendations on how to improve diagnosis and reduce diagnostic errors.
Members of the authoring committee will present their findings and recommendations at a public briefing beginning at 11 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, Sept. 22, in the Lecture Room of the National Academy of Sciences building, 2101 Constitution Ave., N.W., Washington D.C. Those who cannot attend may view a live video webcast of the event here.
Advance copies of Improving Diagnosis in Health Care will be available to reporters only beginning at noon EDT Monday, Sept. 21. The report is embargoed and not for public release before 11 a.m. EDT Tuesday, Sept. 22. To obtain a copy of the report or to attend the event, reporters should contact the Academies’ Office of News and Public Information; tel. 202-334-2138 or e-mail news@nas.edu.