The Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine’s legacy: building a foundation for diagnostic excellence
The Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine (SIDM) played a pivotal role in elevating diagnostic error from an overlooked aspect of patient safety to a recognized healthcare priority during its thirteen-year history (2011-2024). Through strategic advocacy, coalition building, and engagement with policymakers, SIDM secured dedicated federal funding for diagnostic safety research and promoted diagnostic excellence as a critical healthcare imperative. This article examines the organization's establishment, evolution and lasting impact on the field of diagnostic safety across research, education, practice improvement, and patient engagement. A crowning achievement was SIDM's success in stimulating the Institute of Medicine to study the problem, resulting in the landmark 2015 report <i>Improving Diagnosis in Health Care</i> (1). Despite the transformative impact of this report, substantial challenges remain in reducing harm from diagnostic error. We conclude with a call to address gaps in three critical areas: awareness, measurement, and implementation.
Authors
- Laura J. Chien (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2211-0844)
- Leslie E. Tucker (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0357-8257)
- Helen Haskell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2131-7907)
- Rebecca Jones (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6639-9312)
- Janice L. Kwan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9252-0609)
- Kathryn M. McDonald (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4049-5744)
- Andrew P. J. Olson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7226-5783)
- Maria R. Dahm (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8067-4600)
- Christina L. Cifra (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7449-802X)
- Mark L. Graber (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3600-0446)
- M. Suzanne Schrandt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1648-9595)
- Ava Leigh Liberman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0184-6035)
- Eliana Bonifacino (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8797-2061)
Institutions
- Australian National University (AU)
- MedStar Washington Hospital Center (US)
- Boston Children's Hospital (US)
- Johns Hopkins University (US)
- Deakin University (AU)
- University of Canberra (AU)
- Cornell University (US)
- Johns Hopkins Medicine (US)
- MIND Research Institute (US)
- RED Consulting (Norway) (NO)
- Sinai Health System (CA)
- University of Minnesota Medical Center (US)
- Virginia Hospital Center (US)
- Plymouth Hospital (GB)
- National Patient Safety Foundation (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Diagnosis
- Published
- 2025-09-18
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1515/dx-2025-0120
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Clinical Reasoning and Diagnostic Skills
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.52