Annals of Emergency Medicine
Volume 49, Issue 2 , Pages 196-205 , February 2007

Missed and Delayed Diagnoses in the Emergency Department: A Study of Closed Malpractice Claims From 4 Liability Insurers

  • Allen Kachalia, MD, JD

      Affiliations

    • Division of General Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
    • ,
  • Tejal K. Gandhi, MD, MPH

      Affiliations

    • Division of General Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
    • ,
  • Ann Louise Puopolo, BSN, RN

      Affiliations

    • Division of General Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
    • ,
  • Catherine Yoon, MS

      Affiliations

    • Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA
    • ,
  • Eric J. Thomas, MD, MPH

      Affiliations

    • University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX
    • ,
  • Richard Griffey, MD, MPH

      Affiliations

    • Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
    • ,
  • Troyen A. Brennan, MD, JD

      Affiliations

    • Division of General Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA
    • Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA
    • ,
  • David M. Studdert, LLB, ScD

      Affiliations

    • Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress for correspondence: David M. Studdert, LLB, ScD, Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115; 617-432-5209, fax 617-432-4494.

Received 13 November 2005 ,Revised 7 June 2006 ,Accepted 26 June 2006.

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 Supervising editor: Robert L. Wears, MD, MSAuthors contributions: TAB and DMS conceived the study and obtained funding. AK, TKG, and DMS designed this analysis. TKG, ALP, EJT, and DMS designed the data collection instruments. AK, TKG, ALP, EJT, and DMS trained physician reviewers. TAB and DMS undertook recruitment of participating sites. ALP, CY, and DMS managed the data collection, including quality control. RG contributed to quality control efforts after the data had been collected. AK, TKG, CY, and DMS analyzed the data. AK, TKG, and DMS drafted the article, and all authors contributed substantially to revision of its intellectual content. AK, TKG, and DMS take responsibility for the paper as a whole.Funding and support: This study was supported by grants from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (HS011886-03) and the Harvard Risk Management Foundation. Dr. Studdert was also supported by grant KO2HS11285 from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.Reprints not available from the authors.Publication dates: Available online December 1, 2006.

PII: S0196-0644(06)00938-3

doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2006.06.035

Annals of Emergency Medicine
Volume 49, Issue 2 , Pages 196-205 , February 2007

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