3Q's for QI | Q & A with Dr. Jeff Glasheen
Apr 9, 2024
The Institute for Healthcare Quality, Safety and Efficiency received a two-year grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to develop a Diagnostic Excellence Capacity Building Program. As part of the Achieving Diagnostic Excellence through Prevention and Teamwork (ADEPT) collaborative, the IHQSE will use the grant funds to create a model for developing and implementing diagnostic excellence programs at 15 hospitals across the country. We spoke with IHQSE Director, Dr. Jeff Glasheen, about the new grant and how it will support efforts to address and improve diagnostic accuracy across the country.
Tell us about your approach to this project?
This work, funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, will support the Achieving Diagnostic Excellence through Prevention and Teamwork (ADEPT) collaborative to implement diagnostic error identification tools in 15 hospitals across the United States. ADEPT aims to analyze, adjudicate, and benchmark errors with the goal of identifying opportunities for improvement and supporting interventions to address them. Achieving ADEPTs full potential will require building the programmatic elements that support the success of these new tools. This includes building robust governance structures, integrating into existing quality structures, obtaining the resources to grow these programs, and leading and managing resistance to change. This grant will allow the IHQSE to draw on over a decade of experience building these types of programmatic elements to create a sustainable environment for the ADEPT tools to thrive.
Why is this work important?
Diagnostic error is a leading contributor to preventable harm in hospitals. Recent data suggests that 23% of patients who had an escalation of care to the ICU or died in the hospital suffered a diagnostic error. Diagnostic error contributed to harm or death in 17.8% of patients. In total, 6.6% of patients who died had a diagnostic error that contributed to their demise.
How do you think this will impact healthcare?
To date, no hospitals have implemented robust programs to address overall diagnostic accuracy. In fact, there are no models for how to build this type of hospital-level program. This grant will fund the development and implementation of this type of program that can then be implemented at any hospital or organization in the country that is interested in reducing diagnostic error. The potential impact on patient care is profound.
Additional IHQSE faculty and staff involved:
Dr. Katie Raffel
Dr. Emily Gottenborg
Dr. Read Pierce
Dr. Michelle Knees
Anne Kercsmar, MBA
Check out more recent IHQSE publications addressing diagnostic accuracy:
Achieving diagnostic excellence through prevention and teamwork (ADEPT) study protocol: A multicenter, prospective quality and safety program to improve diagnostic processes in medical inpatients - Journal of Hospital Medicine
Prevalence and Causes of Diagnostic Errors in Hospitalized Patients Under Investigation for COVID-19 - Journal of General Internal Medicine