LabMind

Dr. Hardeep Singh is a general internist and authority on the various causes of diagnostic error. He argues that most diagnostic errors aren’t due to failures of complex reasoning, but rather failures of the routine processes we take for granted such as communication and followup of test results. His research focuses on improving organizational systems and processes, including those involving health information technology.

In this second segment, Dr. Mark Graber focuses on post-analytic errors and the need for more pathologist-clinician and pathologist-patient communications. He also emphasizes the importance of inviting patients to participate in medical societies and conferences. Finally, Graber delves into the 2015 Institute of Medicine (now National Academy of Medicine) Report, “Diagnostic Error in Health Care,” and its key messages for the laboratory community.

During Mark Graber's academic nephrology career, he became interested in bringing diagnostic error out of the healthcare shadows. Diagnostic errors occur more frequently than either surgical errors or medication errors, but they've received less attention from the patient safety community. In this initial interview, he shares personal experiences encountering diagnostic errors in clinical practice. We also discuss the central role of laboratories in addressing these problems, including where labs struggle and where the opportunities lie.

When Elissa Passiment studied medical laboratory science decades ago, she believed physicians would appreciate her advice on testing strategies. This didn’t always turn out to be true. Yet, she never backed down from her conviction that lab professionals should play a much larger clinical role than simply performing tests. In our interview, this former executive VP of the American Society of Clinical Laboratory Science discusses the history of clinical labs and medical lab scientists, and why she is optimistic about the profession’s future.

When Elissa Passiment studied medical laboratory science decades ago, she believed physicians would appreciate her advice on testing strategies. This didn’t always turn out to be true. Yet, she never backed down from her conviction that lab professionals should play a much larger clinical role than simply performing tests. In our interview, this former executive VP of the American Society of Clinical Laboratory Science discusses the history of clinical labs and medical lab scientists, and why she is optimistic about the profession’s future.