In 1999, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a report on the scope of medical
error in the United States and on recommendations for reducing medical error and improving
patient safety [
[1]
]. The IOM defined medical error as the failure to complete a planned action as intended
or the use of the wrong plan to achieve an aim [
[1]
]. Medical errors permeate all levels of patient care, and the IOM report has resulted
in the greater recognition of error and an increased focus on reporting and reducing
errors [
2
,
3
,
4
,
5
,
6
,
7
]. Some error types, such as medication errors, have been well documented and better
addressed than other error types [
8
,
9
,
10
]. Diagnostic error has been less extensively studied, particularly in regard to anatomic
pathology practice.To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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© 2004 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
