New Sentinel Event Alert on risk of diagnostic overshadowing among groups experiencing health disparities

Diagnostic overshadowing — defined as the attribution of symptoms to an existing diagnosis rather than a potential co-morbid condition — is a risk to patient safety. Extensive evidence shows that diagnostic overshadowing exists within the interactions of clinicians with patients of all ages who have physical disabilities or previous diagnoses including autism, mobility disabilities, and neurological deficits, as well as patients with conditions or characteristics such as, but not limited to, LGBTQ identifications, history of substance abuse, low health literacy, and obesity.

A new issue of Sentinel Event Alert — “Issue 65: Diagnostic overshadowing among groups experiencing health disparities” — details this issue and includes a patient’s experience told from that patient’s point of view.

Read the Sentinel Event Alert.