ABEM, along with many national EM organizations, has issued a letter in response to a recent study about diagnostic errors in the emergency department.1 ABEM believes that the study is severely flawed and does not accurately describe emergency care in the United States. ABEM stands in support of the dedicated board-certified emergency physicians who are heroically committed to caring for all patients under challenging circumstances. The letter states that “We understand and agree that there is room for improvement in the diagnostic accuracy in emergency care - just as there is in all specialties . . . we also believe the potential unintended consequences of the report, as drafted, inappropriately take aim at a standard of care designed to stabilize and treat the undifferentiated patient in times of an acute emergency.”
Read the full statement here.
1 Newman-Toker, D., et al. Diagnostic errors in the emergency department: a systematic review. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. December 15, 2022. https://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/products/diagnostic-errors-emergency/research