Arch Intern Med
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Guidelines recommend the use of antithrombotic therapy for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), but compliance with such guidelines has not been widely studied among patients with newly detected AF. Our objective was to assess compliance with antithrombotic guidelines and to identify patient characteristics associated with warfarin use. ⋯ Three quarters of the patients with newly detected AF received antithrombotic therapy, yet many at high risk of stroke did not receive warfarin. Atrial fibrillation classification, rather than stroke risk factors, was strongly associated with warfarin use.
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Diagnostic errors are the leading basis for malpractice claims in primary care, yet these errors are underidentified and understudied. Computerized methods used to screen for other types of errors (eg, medication related) have not been applied to diagnostic errors. Our objectives were to assess the feasibility of computerized screening to identify diagnostic errors in primary care and to categorize diagnostic breakdowns using a recently published taxonomy. ⋯ Electronic screening has potential to identify records that may contain diagnostic errors in primary care, and its performance is comparable to screening tools for other types of errors. Future studies that validate these findings in other settings could provide improvement initiatives in this area.