Practice Policy and Quality Initiatives

Bias in Radiology: The How and Why of Misses and Misinterpretations

Published Online:https://doi.org/10.1148/rg.2018170107

The article describes the types of thought processes used during medical decision making; emphasizes the cognitive biases inherent in these ways of thinking, which can lead to diagnostic error; and reviews cognitive and systemic strategies to combat these biases to reduce diagnostic error.

Medical errors are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the medical field and are substantial contributors to medical costs. Radiologists play an integral role in the diagnosis and care of patients and, given that those in this field interpret millions of examinations annually, may therefore contribute to diagnostic errors. Errors can be categorized as a “miss” when a primary or critical finding is not observed or as a “misinterpretation” when errors in interpretation lead to an incorrect diagnosis. In this article, the authors describe the cognitive causes of such errors in diagnostic medicine, specifically in radiology. Recognizing the cognitive processes that radiologists use while interpreting images should improve one’s awareness of the inherent biases that can impact decision making. The authors review the common biases that impact clinical decisions, as well as strategies to counteract or minimize the potential for misdiagnosis. System-level processes that can be implemented to minimize cognitive errors are reviewed, as well as ways to implement personal changes to minimize cognitive errors in daily practice.

©RSNA, 2017

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Article History

Received: Apr 24 2017
Revision requested: July 25 2017
Revision received: Aug 8 2017
Accepted: Sept 1 2017
Published online: Dec 01 2017
Published in print: Jan 2018