title: Reducing cognitive errors in dermatology: can anything be done?
abstract: An increasing focus on the prevention of medical errors is a direct result of a growing patient safety movement. Although the reduction of technical errors has been the focus of most interventions, cognitive errors, usually more than one error linked together, actually cause the majority of misdiagnoses. This article examines the most common types of cognitive errors in dermatology. Two methods to minimize these errors are recommended: first, cognitive debiasing techniques reduce the common initiating factor of error cascades; and secondly, the application of prospective hindsight attacks the final common pathway that leads to misdiagnosis.
authors.affiliation: University of Mississippi School of Medicine, Jackson, Mississippi.
authors.forename: Miles
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dunbar
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine, Dermatology Division, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, Ohio; Dermatology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.
authors.forename: Stephen E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Helms
authors.affiliation: University of Mississippi School of Medicine, Jackson, Mississippi; University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York. Electronic address: rbrodell@umc.edu.
authors.forename: Robert T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Brodell
mesh_terms: D003071:Cognition; D003880:Dermatology / Q000592:standards*; D003951:Diagnostic Errors / Q000145:classification / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans
keywords: cognitive science; diagnostic errors; differential diagnosis; patient safety; quality assurance