Why did we create this toolkit? At least 37% of patients treated in the emergency department (ED) are discharged without a definitive diagnosis, thus leaving the encounter with diagnostic uncertainty.1 A national survey of medical trainees found that 99% of trainees had experienced challenges discharging patients with diagnostic uncertainty, and 51% wanted formal communication training regarding uncertainty.2 In response to this need, we developed this toolkit to provide healthcare providers with a standardized approach to establish competency in communication of diagnostic uncertainty.
How did we create this toolkit? The materials included in this toolkit were created through an AHRQ-funded study, “Promoting safe care transitions: Simulation-based mastery learning to improve communication in times of diagnostic uncertainty.” The toolkit components were developed with input from patients as well as an international panel of experts in in healthcare communication, diagnostic uncertainty, simulation and education.
Funding information: This project was supported by grant R18HS025651 from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
1Wen L, Espinola J, Mosowsky J, Camargo C. Do Emergency Department Patients Receive a Pathological Diagnosis? A Nationally-Representative Sample. West J Emerg Med. 2015;16(1):50-54.
2Rising KL, Papanagnou D, McCarthy D, Gentsch A, Powell R. Emergency medicine resident perceptions about the need for increased training in communicating diagnostic uncertainty. Cureus. 2018;10(1).