Bergl PA, et al. - Among critically ill adults with unplanned admission to the medical ICU, researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study to describe the frequency, causes, consequences, and risk factors of diagnostic errors. Using a modified version of the Safer Dx instrument, a validated instrument for detecting a diagnostic error, the primary investigator reviewed patient medical records. Two hundred fifty-six unplanned ICU admissions were analyzed and 18 diagnostic errors (7% of admissions) were identified. Findings suggested that diagnostic errors can be an underappreciated source of harm associated with ICU. It appears that women and patients with higher acuity were at increased risk for such errors. More research is needed to define the scope of error-related harm and to explain risk factors among critically ill people for diagnostic errors