The failure to diagnose myocardial infarction (MI) or acute coronary syndrome (ACS) continues to represent a significant problem in the practice of medicine. This remains a critical issue from both patient safety and medical error perspectives. Recent analysis of data from large hospital organizations and insurance companies confirms that failure to diagnose MI is the number one cause of litigation-related dollar losses in emergency medicine and a leading cause of litigation-related dollar losses in acute care practices. The majority of missed MI lawsuits and other adverse outcomes in chest pain cases result from a failure to identify or recognize the significance of critical historical factors and/or a failure to correctly evaluate one or a series of electrocardiograms (ECGs). According to the medical literature, up to 25% of all missed acute MI patients would have been diagnosed and/or admitted if the physician had recognized obvious ischemic ECG changes or a significant change in the ECG over time.
The delay or failure to diagnose MI is presented in two separate activities. In this activity, Myocardial Infarction Part 1, we focus on the failure to correctly interpret ECGs and other related errors that result in adverse outcomes. We present evidence-based medical and legal literature and examine a number of failure to diagnose MI cases (with real ECGs). After completing this activity, practitioners should be able to: integrate the key elements of the history and physical examination, including both pertinent positives and negatives, into the medical record for patients presenting with chest pain in order to improve patient safety, improve documentation and decrease the risk of exposure to medical malpractice; evaluate ECGs with an understanding of the common errors made in ECG interpretation in order to improve ECG evaluation and reduce the incidence of the failure to diagnose ACS; and integrate the finding of the non-specific ST segment ECG change with the patient history and history of present illness in order to avoid the failure to diagnose ACS for patients presenting with chest pain or a chest pain equivalent and a normal or non-specific ECG.
- Provider:The Sullivan Group
- Activity Link: https://www.thesullivangroup.com/RSQSolutions/course-purchase-home/
- Start Date: 2022-08-15 05:00:00
- End Date: 2022-08-15 05:00:00
- Credit Details: AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™️: 2.0 hours
- Commercial Support: No
- Activity Type: Enduring Material
- CME Finder Type: Online Learning
- Fee to Participate: Variable
- Measured Outcome: Learner Competence, Learner Knowledge, Learner Performance, Patient Health
- Provider Ship: Directly Provided
- Registration: Open to all