Error Disclosure in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine: A Review of the Literature

Since the 1990s, the fields of anatomic and clinical pathology have made strong commitments to improving patient safety, including the creation of formal and informal guidelines for assessing and reporting quality lapses. Unfortunately, some medical errors are inevitable. Patient safety experts advocate full and complete disclosure of all serious medical errors in an effort to preserve the patient-physician relationship and minimize the risk of harm to patients. While evidence suggests that most pathologists disclose serious medical errors, many do not disclose such errors to patients. A literature review of articles published on diagnostic error disclosure in pathology and laboratory medicine suggests that there are in fact persistent barriers to the disclosure of diagnostic errors that are specific to pathology. A number of these barriers are considered here, followed by recommendations for improving patient safety in pathology.