Getting the right diagnosis is a key aspect of health care - it provides an explanation of a patient's health problem and informs subsequent health care decisions. The diagnostic process is a complex, collaborative activity that involves clinical reasoning and information gathering to determine a patient's health problem. According to Improving Diagnosis in Health Care, diagnostic errors-inaccurate or delayed diagnoses-persist throughout all settings of care and continue to harm an unacceptable number of patients. It is likely that most people will experience at least one diagnostic error in their lifetime, sometimes with devastating consequences. Diagnostic errors may cause harm to patients by preventing or delaying appropriate treatment, providing unnecessary or harmful treatment, or resulting in psychological or financial repercussions. The committee concluded that improving the diagnostic process is not only possible, but also represents a moral, professional, and public health imperative. Improving Diagnosis in Health Care, a continuation of the landmark Institute of Medicine reports To Err Is Human (2000) and Crossing the Quality Chasm (2001), finds that diagnosis-and, in particular, the occurrence of diagnostic errorsâ€"has been largely unappreciated in efforts to improve the quality and safety of health care. Without a dedicated focus on improving diagnosis, diagnostic errors will likely worsen as the delivery of health care and the diagnostic process continue to increase in complexity. Just as the diagnostic process is a collaborative activity, improving diagnosis will require collaboration and a widespread commitment to change among health care professionals, health care organizations, patients and their families, researchers, and policy makers. The recommendations of Improving Diagnosis in Health Care contribute to the growing momentum for change in this crucial area of health care quality and safety.

Includes subject section, name section, and 1968-1970, technical reports.

"[the authors] did a masterful job of creating and editing this gold standard book that should be used by all clinicians and incorporated into all nursing and health sciences curriculums." -Bernadette Mazurek Melnyk, PhD, APRN-CNP, FNAP, FAANP, FAAN Vice President for Health Promotion University Chief Wellness Officer Dean and Helene Fuld Health Trust Professor of Evidence-Based Practice, College of Nursing Professor of Pediatrics & Psychiatry, College of Medicine Executive Director, the Helene Fuld Health Trust National Institute for EBP The Ohio State University This is the only book to explicitly guide clinicians through an evidence-based approach to ordering and interpreting laboratory tests. With over 160 commonly ordered tests, this book is designed to foster more accurate clinical decision-making to attain the highest level of patient care. This book summarizes more than 3000 pieces of evidence and incorporates clinical expertise and decision-making on the ordering and interpretation of tests. To promote ease of use, a convenient table maps labs and their corresponding chapter numbers to the relevant body system to promote ease of use. Each laboratory test is presented in a consistent format with information on physiology, indications (screening, diagnosis, and monitoring), algorithms, test interpretation and follow-up testing, patient education, and related diagnoses. Additional valuable features include clinical pearls that highlight common pitfalls and gaps in reasoning, and a cost-benefit analysis. This book also includes CPT and ICD-10 codes, charts and tables for clarification, and references for further study. Key Features: Delivers a strong, evidence-based approach to ordering and interpreting over 160 laboratory tests Promotes accurate clinical decision-making toward achieving the Triple Aim Includes abundant clinical pearls highlighting common pitfalls and gaps in reasoning Provides cost-benefit analysis and discussion of laboratory testing within a high-value healthcare culture Includes 175 supplemental case examples and 200 self-assessment questions to facilitate instruction and learning Includes more than 3000 pieces of evidence from interprofessional resources

The very rapid pace of advances in biomedical research promises us a wide range of new drugs, medical devices, and clinical procedures. The extent to which these discoveries will benefit the public, however, depends in large part on the methods we choose for developing and testing them. Modern Methods of Clinical Investigation focuses on strategies for clinical evaluation and their role in uncovering the actual benefits and risks of medical innovation. Essays explore differences in our current systems for evaluating drugs, medical devices, and clinical procedures; health insurance databases as a tool for assessing treatment outcomes; the role of the medical profession, the Food and Drug Administration, and industry in stimulating the use of evaluative methods; and more. This book will be of special interest to policymakers, regulators, executives in the medical industry, clinical researchers, and physicians.

For undergradute social science majors. A textbook on the interpretation and use of research. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.