Advisory promotes closed-loop communication of test results

In an effort to reduce diagnostic errors, the Joint Commission and the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine (SIDM) have released a Quick Safety advisory: Advancing safety with closed-loop communication of test results. The commission defines closed-loop communication as “a strategic, evidence-based solution that requires every test result to be sent, received, acknowledged and acted upon without failure.” An estimated one in 20 patients, or 12 million U.S. adults annually, are subject to a diagnostic error. (The Joint Commission news release, 12/17/19)