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Defining diagnostic excellence in the ED

Defining Diagnostic Excellence and Missed Diagnostic Opportunity for the Emergency Department Setting
Annals of Emergency Medicine · Added 21 August 2026

Consensus study using a modified RAND/UCLA panel method to define diagnostic excellence and missed diagnostic opportunity in emergency departments — diagnostic excellence is accurate, timely, evidence-based, and patient-centered communication of a diagnosis based on available information, while a missed diagnostic opportunity is a measurable divergence from optimal practice that may lead to inaccurate/delayed explanations or communication failures.

Study type

Guideline / statement

Design

Modified RAND/UCLA Delphi consensus panel

Participants

11 multidisciplinary expert panelists

Main finding

Consensus definitions: diagnostic excellence is optimal, evidence-based practice to attain an accurate, timely, patient-centred, equitable explanation communicated to the patient; a missed diagnostic opportunity is a measurable divergence from optimal practice that may lead to inaccurate/delayed explanation or communication failure.

Caveat

Expert consensus definitions not yet validated or implemented

Bottom line

Context only

Learning goal

Understand how diagnostic excellence and missed diagnostic opportunity apply to my prehospital assessment and clinical handover.

More

• Topic: Operations & systems
• Daily scan: 21 August 2026

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