Understanding diagnostic errors in medicine: a lesson from aviation

[From aviation medicine to space medicine].

S PACE M E D I C I N E appears with a special program of papers, for the first time, on the public platform of a scientific society--the Aero Medical Association. For this reason, it would seem that a few introductory remarks are appropriate. It is a privilege, and indeed a source of great pleasure, that this task has been delegated to me. Space medicine, at first glance, undoubtedly appears to...

Diagnostic errors and reflective practice in medicine.

BACKGROUND Adverse effects of medical errors have received increasing attention. Diagnostic errors account for a substantial fraction of all medical errors, and strategies for their prevention have been explored. A crucial requirement for that is better understanding of origins of medical errors. Research on medical expertise may contribute to that as far as it explains reasoning processes invo...

Aviation medicine. A valediction.

Critics of this long series of articles on aviation medicine might be forgiven for thinking that the BMJ has succumbed to the national enthusiasm for marathons while upholding the other great British virtue of supporting minority interests. In reality, aviation medicine has made a major and vital contribution to the development of the aeronautical and space industries, which in turn have had as...

Avoiding diagnostic errors in psychosomatic medicine: a case series study

Background Non-organic lesions or diseases of unknown origin are sometimes misdiagnosed as "psychogenic" disorders or "psychosomatic" diseases. For the quality of life and safety of patients, recent attention has focused on diagnostic error. The aim of this study was to clarify the factors that affected misdiagnoses in psychosomatic medicine by examining typical cases and to explore strategies ...

Aviation Medicine