Reducing PA Diagnosis Risk: Looking Through a Malpractice Lens

Diagnosis failure (delayed, wrong, or missed) has been identified as a cause for serious, and often preventable, harm in healthcare. Over one-third of the U.S. malpractice diagnosis-related claims involve high severity injuries, including death. As the number of PAs expands to meet increased patient demands, it is critical that the causes of diagnostic errors made by PAs are identified, and errors are prevented. This presentation will review findings from an analysis of PA diagnosis-related malpractice claims and the top drivers in these claims will be shared. PAs will leave this session with an awareness of the most common misdiagnosed conditions and strategies to reduce overall risk while continuing to provide quality team-based patient care.