Applying quality management within public policy and regulatory processes may encounter some difficulties. The major concern is the unwillingness to change that may exist in established healthcare systems. In healthcare, it is important to follow best practices because patient outcomes rely upon them. Public policies and regulatory procedures often determine and enforce such norms. Any discrepancies, therefore, in the interpretation or application of these policies may pose huge challenges in achieving quality control (Cheraghi et al., 2023). Existing practices, as well as policies, may be so deeply entrenched that introducing and implementing new regulations aimed at reducing instances of misdiagnosis can also become difficult. In fact, opposition might come from medical practitioners, institutions, or even patients who have gotten used to traditional diagnostic methods.
The absence of agreed-upon standards or guidelines for diagnosing different medical conditions is another quality management issue. Lack of standardized terms used by healthcare providers can result in difficult analysis, correlation and evaluation of the data (Neugebauer et al., 2021). Inconsistencies such as non-synchronization in symptom understanding among medical specialists can result in errors during diagnosis. The diversity of healthcare systems and behaviors makes it difficult to establish clear, evidence-based diagnosis recommendations and implement them consistently across healthcare settings.
In addition, the question of resource allocation and funding is important in discussing the quality problem of misdiagnosis. Implementing strategies to reduce misdiagnosis, such as investing in training programs, technology upgrades, and quality improvement initiatives, requires financial resources. However, many healthcare systems operate on limited budgets, making it hard to properly allocate the necessary resources to adequately address the issue. Budget limitations may force compromises, impacting the effectiveness of the initiatives and hindering progress toward reducing misdiagnosis.
Potential Barriers to Addressing Misdiagnosis
Resistance to Technological Adoption
One considerable obstacle is the unwillingness of healthcare practitioners to embrace such advanced technologies as artificial intelligence and machine learning. For healthcare professionals to implement these approaches, they have to adapt new models, policies, and procedures and introduce innovative technology in a bid to reduce misdiagnosis (Fan et al., 2020). Sometimes, doubts about the reliability of these approaches or a limited understanding of how they can be used together with diagnostic methods may hinder their incorporation. Inadequate comprehension of the value associated with change, dread about what is unknown, and unwillingness to interfere with established practices are some factors leading to resistance against transformation efforts. Effective transition management techniques must be implemented, and workers must be effectively communicated with and engaged during implementation.
Limited Resources
Inability to access quality resources, including financial constraints, insufficient staff, and poor infrastructure, are some of the colossal challenges that would be faced in addressing the misdiagnosis of quality defects. The development of strategies that would put a reduction into effect quality defects of misdiagnosis calls for resources in terms of financial and human efforts as prerequisites (Fleming et al., 2021). These systems may fail to effectively avail the required resources to face the problem within budget constraints. Initiatives in that regard require investment with the highest priority.
Fragmented Healthcare System
Fragmented care arises when many healthcare providers or organizations fail to collaborate effectively. Insufficient teamwork arises from healthcare providers operating alone within their respective silos. The existence of these silos is sustained by discrepancies in funding, rules, regulations, data management, and training (Joo, 2023). The existence of a fragmented healthcare system can pose a substantial challenge. Collaboration and seamless information exchange between different healthcare providers are crucial for accurate diagnosis. However, existing silos in the system may hinder effective communication and coordination.
Effects of Misdiagnosis on Nursing Practice
Nursing practice can be significantly affected by misdiagnosis, which affects different aspects of patient care. A notable effect is the increased workload on nurses. Pumping unnecessary treatments on patients and prolonging treatment to rehabilitation usually end up giving nurses extra workloads (Rodziewicz et al., 2023). In addition, misdiagnosis can ruin nurse-patient relationship bonds. Nurses would sometimes be required to tell patients that the initial diagnosis was wrong, which can negatively impact the trust. This communication challenge can contribute to increased stress and emotional strain on nurses.Besides, misdiagnosis has implications for financial management in nursing practice. Unnecessary treatment and longer periods for care incur medical expenses that affect resource distribution in healthcare institutions (Olliaro & Torreele, 2021). This financial burden can deny access to basic resources needed for professionals to properly present a role for professionals in nursing, thus derailing the quality delivered.
Conclusion
Misdiagnosis is a major problem in the health sector with devastating implications for patient care. Improvement of the problem has to receive the necessary comprehensive attention in terms of financial injections, changes in the practice of health care, and application of up-to-date technologies. Effective organizational cooperation must be availed among policymakers, supervisory bodies in setting regulatory measures, and professionals in the health sector for the sake of creating stand-out protocols that can advance diagnostic accuracy and increase patient safety. Misdiagnosis reduction starts when barriers like financial resistance to change, and lack of standardization among others are eliminated. Misdiagnosis in nursing boosts the nature of practice positively and negatively affects the workload, relationship with patients, and confidence. Collectively, the health system can endeavor to reduce misdiagnosis and ensure patients are treated safely and well.
References
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Fan, W., Liu, J., Zhu, S., & Pardalos, P. M. (2020). Investigating the impacting factors for the healthcare professionals to adopt artificial intelligence-based medical diagnosis support system (AIMDSS). Annals of Operations Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-018-2818-y
Fleming, K. A., Horton, S., Wilson, M. L., Atun, R., DeStigter, K., Flanigan, J., Sayed, S., Adam, P., Aguilar, B., Andronikou, S., Boehme, C., Cherniak, W., Cheung, A. N., Dahn, B., Donoso-Bach, L., Douglas, T., Garcia, P., Hussain, S., Iyer, H. S., & Kohli, M. (2021). The Lancet Commission on diagnostics: transforming access to diagnostics. The Lancet, 398(10315), 1997–2050. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(21)00673-5
Joo, J. Y. (2023). Fragmented care and chronic illness patient outcomes: A systematic review. Nursing Open, 10(6). https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.1607
Neugebauer, J., Tóthová, V., & Doležalová, J. (2021). Use of standardized and non-standardized tools for measuring the risk of falls and independence in clinical practice. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18063226
Olliaro, P., & Torreele, E. (2021). Managing the risks of making the wrong diagnosis: First, do no harm. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 106, 382–385. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijid.2021.04.004
Rodziewicz, T. L., Hipskind, J. E., & Houseman, B. (2023). Medical error reduction and prevention. National Library of Medicine; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499956/
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