Evidence that Nurses Need to Participate in Diagnosis: Lessons From Malpractice Claims

Claims in which nurses were named as the primary responsible service, that also involved errors in diagnosis or physiologic monitoring, were examined. Using logistical regression to determine the association between the listed contributing factors and the likelihood of death, indemnity, and expenses incurred, the authors found that diagnostic errors and physiologic monitoring errors resulted in greater patient harm and indemnity in these cases. The study concluded that nurses are held legally accountable in these claims, they should be supported in their involvement in the diagnostic process, in order to decrease the rate of these claims or to lower their severity.

Citation for the Full-text Article

Gleason KT, Jones R, Rhodes C, Greenberg P, Harkless G, Goeschel C, Cahill M, Graber M. Evidence that nurses need to participate in diagnosis: Lessons from malpractice claims. Journal of Patient Safety. 2021; 17(8): e959-e963. doi: 10.1097/PTS.0000000000000621