Creating a world where no patients are harmed by diagnostic error.

SIDM catalyzes and leads change to improve diagnosis and eliminate harm from diagnostic error, in partnership with patients, their families, the healthcare community, and every interested stakeholder.

Patients

Patients and family members have a significant opportunity to contribute to diagnostic accuracy and timeliness by actively participating in the diagnostic process. But often, they don't know the questions to ask, the information to offer, or the steps to take to improve diagnosis.

Clinical Teams

Every member of the clinical team has a role to play in ensuring that diagnoses are accurate, timely and communicated to the patient. SIDM offers resources for clinical team members to improve cognitive skills and work within their health systems to improve the diagnostic process.

Medical Educators

Improving diagnosis requires continued investment in medical education, leveraging trainees, practitioners, and educators to address gaps in the system and focus on the teams that contribute to accurate and timely diagnostics. SIDM's resources for medical educators examine clinical reasoning and system factors that underlie diagnostic error, and offer tools and strategies to to bring diagnostic quality and safety into the medical education curriculum.

Researchers

Whether you're an established researcher or just joining the diagnostic error research community, SIDM offers a variety of resources to help advance research efforts in the field. Explore existing literature, engage with your peers, and join the conversation as we work to foster the growth of the research community.

Advocacy

Despite the fact that diagnostic error likely accounts for more patient harm than all other medical errors combined, federal investment in research to improve diagnosis amounts to about $7 million per year, or just .02% of the total $35 billion federal health research budget. Learn how you can support efforts to expand funding for research.

In the Wake of a New Report on Diagnostic Errors, Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine (SIDM) Invites Collaboration and Policy Action

July 17, 2023

ALPHARETTA, Ga., July 17, 2023 — Since a 2015 report, “Improving Diagnosis in Healthcare,” by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, we have known that delayed, missed, and incorrect diagnoses are responsible for the most common, costly, and catastrophic harms in healthcare. A newly released study, published by BMJ Quality & Safety, was…

SOCIETY TO IMPROVE DIAGNOSIS IN MEDICINE (SIDM) ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENTS OF NEW BOARD MEMBERS

April 27, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SOCIETY TO IMPROVE DIAGNOSIS IN MEDICINE (SIDM) ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENTS OF NEW BOARD MEMBERS Alpharetta, GA – April 24, 2023 – The society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine (SIDM) is pleased to announce the appointment of Helene Epstein, Dr. Kenneth A. Mundt, Kamili Wilson, and Von Wright to its Board of Directors. Helene…

SIDM Board Member Ron Wyatt Leads Elevation of Healthcare Equity Standard to National Patient Safety Goal

January 17, 2023

The Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine (SIDM) congratulates Ronald Wyatt, MD, MHA, and SIDM board member for successfully advocating for healthcare disparities to become a quality and safety priority and a new National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG).

SIDM Board of Directors Call for Nominations

January 4, 2023

We’re pleased to announce the 2023 call for candidates to be considered for SIDM’s Board of Directors. During this critical time in our history, SIDM is looking to recruit three (3) board members. This is an opportunity to serve during a pivotal time as we implement our new strategic plan.   WHY SERVE ON THE…

Congress Commits Funding for Research to Reduce Diagnostic Error and Improve Patient Safety in Final FY2023 Spending Bill

December 30, 2022

The Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine (SIDM) is thrilled to announce that Congress included language in the final FY 2023 Omnibus spending bill that doubles dedicated federal funding for research to reduce patient harm from diagnostic error.  Statistically, each of us is likely to experience a meaningful diagnostic error in our lifetime. The significant…

In the Wake of a New Report on Diagnostic Errors, Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine (SIDM) Invites Collaboration and Policy Action

December 19, 2022

A newly released report, “Diagnostic Error in the Emergency Department: A Systematic Review,” authored by investigators at the Johns Hopkins University Evidence-based Practice Center and funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), contributes new data to inform practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and patient advocates working to improve diagnosis in medicine. The research, led by David Newman-Toker, MD, PhD, a former president of SIDM, highlights the need to accelerate diagnostic excellence as a norm and a justified expectation of patients as well as healthcare professionals.

Did you know?

1 in 3

One-third of malpractice cases that result in death or permanent disability stem from an inaccurate or delayed diagnosis, making it the number one cause of serious harms among medical errors.

*Research published in Diagnosis

 

Diagnostic errors affect an estimated 12 million Americans each year, and likely cause more harm to patients than all other medical errors combined.

*Research published in BMJ Quality & Safety

Roughly 80,000 deaths in U.S. hospitals each year can be attributed to diagnostic error. It’s about the same number of people who die annually from breast cancer or diabetes.

*From Improving Diagnosis in Health Care

Programs & Projects

Explore how we're helping improve the accuracy and timeliness of diagnosis.

Testing Interventions

Inaccurate or delayed diagnosis is the most common, catastrophic, and costly type of medical error. Through the DxQI Seed Grant Program, SIDM will award grants to support specific quality improvement work directed towards improving diagnosis.

Collaborating to Improve Diagnosis

The Coalition to Improve Diagnosis is comprised of 60+ healthcare organizations working to find solutions that enhance diagnostic quality and safety, reduce harm and ultimately, ensure better health outcomes for patients.

Diagnosis and Telemedicine

The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the usage of telemedicine overnight, establishing it as a mainstay for healthcare delivery and diagnosis. To navigate this new era of “telediagnosis,” SIDM will convened a series of conversations about TeleDx research priorities.

DxQI Seed Grant Program

SIDM has established the DxQI Seed Grant Program to engage healthcare organizations in efforts to identify, develop, and test interventions aimed at improving diagnostic quality and reducing harm from diagnostic error.

Resources for Patients