12185 (202) Cognitive Errors in Diagnostic Reasoning and the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
Tamara J. Wallace, MS RN CNNP-BC

Abstract
Neonatal Nurse Practitioners make diagnostic and therapy decisions as a routine part of their role. Accurate diagnosis is necessary for appropriate treatment and the well being of our patients. Delayed or missed diagnosis is a frequent cause of patient harm and litigation against our physician colleagues. Nurse Practitioners are also at risk for making diagnostic errors. This presentation will discuss the literature available about diagnostic errors with emphasis on cognitive errors in medical care. This presentation will review types and patterns of cognitive errors using clinical scenarios. The unique role of the Nurse practitioner in diagnosis and treatment and how this might affect the types of errors made is discussed. Multiple strategies from medicine and aviation are examined as possible tools for improving safety and for the prevention of cognitive errors.

Learning Objectives
1. Define and discuss the types of diagnostic error.
2. Define and discuss cognitive errors, types, influences and explain how these might apply to the neonatal nurse pratitioner.
3. Review possible strategies to reduce diagnostic and cognitive errors.

Bibliography
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Croskerry, P. (2003). The importance of cognitive errors in diagnosis and strategies to minimize them. Academic Medicine, 78(8), 775-780.

Groopman, J. (2007). How Doctors Think. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Singh, H., Petersen, L. A., & Thomas, E. J. (2006). Understanding diagnostic errors in medicine: a lesson from aviation. Quality Safe Health Care, 15, 159-164.