The Doctor’s Advocate | First Quarter 2023

Education: Preventing Diagnostic Error in Primary Care

Diagnostic error in a primary care setting is a common cause of patient harm and malpractice claims due to treatment delay, testing, and misdiagnosis. Our complimentary course, Prevention of Diagnostic Error in Primary Care, offers 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ and presents an opportunity to learn where errors occur most often in the diagnostic process of care framework. The course outlines best practices for the diagnostic process involving timely and accurate diagnosis, patient engagement, effective system processes, active follow-up, and communication. It also highlights prevention strategies related to the primary care setting and a case presentation. The activity features Jeffrey A. Gold, MD, Professor of Medicine and Vice Chair for Quality and Safety in the Department of Medicine at Oregon Health and Science University. 

Find this course and a complete catalog of for-credit activities


The Doctor’s Advocate is published by The Doctors Company to advise and inform its members about loss prevention and insurance issues.

The guidelines suggested in this newsletter are not rules, do not constitute legal advice, and do not ensure a successful outcome. They attempt to define principles of practice for providing appropriate care. The principles are not inclusive of all proper methods of care nor exclusive of other methods reasonably directed at obtaining the same results.

The ultimate decision regarding the appropriateness of any treatment must be made by each healthcare provider considering the circumstances of the individual situation and in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction in which the care is rendered.

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