Errors encountered in the diagnostic pathway: A prospective single‐institution study

Abstract

Background Biopsy specimens go through a diagnostic pathway before a pathology report is rendered for the clinician. Errors can occur at any step in this pathway. Methods A 1‐year prospective study was conducted at a single academic institution to identify and characterize errors that occurred in the diagnostic pathway from the clinic to the dermatopathology lab. Results A total of 25 662 specimens were processed and 190 errors were recorded (an error rate of 0.7%). The most common errors were an incorrect biopsy site (n = 65), incorrect data entry of a correct diagnosis (n = 25), and specimen mix‐up (n = 23). There were 17 diagnostic errors. Errors most often occurred in the pre‐analytical phase (n = 128). The clinician was responsible for 34.2% of errors, the dermatopathologist for 23.7%, and the histotechnician for 18.9%. Slips were the most common type of human error (n = 156). Conclusion The most common error involved an incorrect biopsy site at the clinical stage. Over two‐thirds of errors occurred before the slide reached the dermatopathologist. Diagnostic errors (analytical phase) rarely occurred, and when they did occur, the clinician was most likely to discover the error. Examining and addressing common laboratory errors help to reduce their incidence and lead to quality improvement in dermatopathology.