Diagnostic errors are major contributors to patient harm. Strategies to identify and analyze these events are still emerging, but several show promise for use in operational settings. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has developed Measure Dx to help healthcare organizations identify diagnostic safety events and gain insights for improvement.
Measure Dx can be used by any healthcare organization interested in promoting diagnostic excellence and reducing harm from diagnostic safety events. Potential users include clinicians, quality and safety professionals, risk management professionals, health system leaders, and clinical managers.
About the Resource
The Measure Dx Guide (PDF, 2 MB) is organized into four sections that outline a series of steps to begin and sustain measurement of diagnostic safety:
- Part I outlines ways to engage people in the organization to ensure adequate resources to implement measurement and learning activities. An accompanying Infographic (PDF, 98 KB) can be used to engage leaders and other interested parties with statistics about diagnostic error and a brief overview of Measure Dx.
- Part II contains a self-assessment checklist to gauge readiness for implementation, as well as guidance for choosing a measurement strategy that fits with your organization's resources.
- Part III describes four different strategies (systematic approaches to measurement) based on different types of data sources. Organizations are encouraged to use a strategy that fits with available data sources. Each strategy is outlined in step-by-step instructions for identifying potential diagnostic safety events. Case examples illustrate how organizations have used each strategy to learn about diagnostic safety in their facilities and practices.
- Part IV provides recommendations for systematically reviewing and analyzing case data and translating findings into useful insights for learning and improvement. It also includes guidance for training reviewers and using structured case review tools.
- Appendixes include additional resources and ready-to-use tools to facilitate measurement activities.
Measure Dx Webinar
A webinar on Monday, August 1, 2022, provided an overview of the Measure Dx resource.
Overview of the AHRQ Measure Dx Resource [29 minutes, 19 seconds]
Acknowledgments
This program was led by the Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness, and Safety, Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, under the direction of Andrea Bradford, Ph.D., and Hardeep Singh, M.D., M.P.H., with support from the MedStar Institute for Quality and Safety.
This resource was developed collaboratively with a team of subject matter experts who contributed content, case examples, and recommendations. Contributors' names and affiliations are listed in the front of the Guide.
Questions can be addressed to Andrea Bradford at andrea.bradford@bcm.edu.
