How do patients and care partners describe diagnostic uncertainty in an emergency department or urgent care setting?
Diagnostic uncertainty is common, particularly in the emergency department (ED) or urgent care where patients are typically unknown to the provider, and the goal of care is to provide a patient with a plan, such as follow-up with primary care provider. In this study, patients and care partners describe their experiences with diagnostic uncertainty in the ED or urgent care. 73% reported poor communication with the most common subtheme being poor explanation.