The Practice of Medicine: Understanding Diagnostic Error

The medical community abides by oaths and expectations as they care for patients, with the general consensus of “do no harm” to the patient. One of the most feared acts is a medical error that could have been avoided. Included in medical errors are diagnostic errors, which can occur in all areas of medicine. Understanding our decision-making process can improve our diagnostic skills and identify any influences leading to an error. This article will provide nurse practitioners with ways to become more self-aware with every patient encounter and improve their understanding of diagnostic error. •Clinical decision making is complex and involves many cognitive reasoning processes.•Identifying cognitive decision processes and biases increase accuracy during clinical diagnosis formation.•Supportive strategies including both clinician and health-care system improvements can reduce diagnostic errors.