Diagnostic quality

© UKN

Diagnostic quality is fundamental to patient safety and effective healthcare. Our research investigates how diagnostic quality influences patient outcomes, such as mortality rates and the length of hospital stays, particularly in emergency settings. We explore the roles of patients, physicians, and contextual factors in driving diagnostic resource use and identify predictors for diagnostic changes and non-specific diagnoses. Interventions - including simulation-based training and diagnostic checklists - show promise in enhancing diagnostic quality and improving the detection of in-hospital risks. By uncovering and addressing the complex factors that shape diagnostic processes, our goal is to foster safer clinical environments and deliver better care to patients.

Scientific writings

  • Birrenbach, T., Hoffmann, M., Hautz, S. C., Kämmer, J. E., Exadaktylos, A. K., Sauter, T. C., Müller, M., & Hautz, W. E. (2022). Frequency and predictors of unspecific medical diagnoses in the emergency department: A prospective observational study. BMC Emergency Medicine, 22(1), 109. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12873-022-00665-x

  • Freytag, J., Stroben, F., Hautz, W. E., Eisenmann, D., & Kämmer, J. E. (2017). Improving patient safety through better teamwork: How effective are different methods of simulation debriefing? Protocol for a pragmatic, prospective and randomised study. BMJ Open, 7, e015977. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-015977

  • Freytag, J., Stroben, F., Hautz, W. E., Schauber, S. K., & Kämmer, J. E. (2019). Rating the quality of teamwork—A comparison of novice and expert ratings using the Team Emergency Assessment Measure (TEAM) in simulated emergencies. Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine, 27(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13049-019-0591-9

  • Graf, C., Rüst, C. A., Koppenberg, J., Filipovic, M., Hautz, W. E., Kämmer, J. E., & Pietsch, U. (2024). Enhancing patient safety: Detection of in-hospital hazards and effect of training on detection (by training in a low-fidelity simulation Room of Improvement based on hospital-specific CIRS cases). BMJ Open Quality, 13(2), e002608. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjoq-2023-002608

  • Hautz, S. C., Schuler, L., Kämmer, J. E., Schauber, S. K., Ricklin, M. E., Sauter, T. C., Maier, V., Birrenbach, T., Exadaktylos, A., & Hautz, W. E. (2016). Factors predicting a change in diagnosis in patients hospitalised through the emergency room: A prospective observational study. BMJ Open, 6(5), Article e011585. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-011585

  • Hautz, W. E., Kämmer, J. E., Hautz, S. C., Sauter, T. C., Zwaan, L., Exadaktylos, A. K., Birrenbach, T., Maier, V., Müller, M., & Schauber, S. K. (2019). Diagnostic error increases mortality and length of hospital stay in patients presenting through the emergency room. Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine, 27(1), Article 54. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13049-019-0629-z

  • Hautz, W. E., Sauter, T. C., Hautz, S. C., Kämmer, J. E., Schauber, S. K., Birrenbach, T., Exadaktylos, A. K., Stock, S., & Müller, M. (2020). What determines diagnostic resource consumption in emergency medicine: Patients, physicians or context? Emergency Medicine Journal, 37(9), 546–551. https://doi.org/10.1136/emermed-2019-209022

  • Kämmer, J. E., Schauber, S. K., Hautz, S. C., Stroben, F., & Hautz, W. E. (2021). Differential diagnosis checklists reduce diagnostic error differentially: A randomised experiment. Medical Education, 55(10), 1172–1182. https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.14596

  • Sauter, T. C., Capaldo, G., Hoffmann, M., Birrenbach, T., Hautz, S. C., Kämmer, J. E., Exadaktylos, A. K., & Hautz, W. E. (2018). Non-specific complaints at emergency department presentation result in unclear diagnoses and lengthened hospitalization: A prospective observational study. Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine, 26(60), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13049-018-0526-x