Display Settings:

Format

Send to:

Choose Destination

    Am J Clin Pathol. 2008 Aug;130(2):238-46.

    Amended reports: development and validation of a taxonomy of defects.

    Meier FA, Zarbo RJ, Varney RC, Bonsal M, Schultz DS, Vrbin CM, Grzybicki DM, Raab SS.

    Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI 48202, USA.

    Amended pathology reports produce rework, confusion, and distrust. To develop a reproducible amendment taxonomy we derived a classification from 141 amended reports, then validated it with 130 new cases before 4 observers independently reviewed 430 cases measuring agreement (k). Next, agreement in classifying 30 other amended reports in 7 institutions was measured. We further tracked amendment rates, defect categories, defect discoverers, and discovery mechanisms. In the 430-case validation set agreement was excellent (k = 0.8780 [range, 0.8416-0.9144]). Among the 7 institutions, agreement was good (k = 0.6235 [range, 0.3105-0.8975]). Amendment rates ranged from 2.6 to 4.8 per 1,000 reports. Misinterpretation fractions varied least (23%-29%). Misidentification fractions ranged more widely (20%-38%). Specimen defects were least frequent (4%-10%) and report defects most frequent (29%-48%). Misidentifications and report defects inversely correlated. Pathologists discovered most misinterpretations, and clinicians found most misidentifications. Conference review revealed 40% to 80% of misinterpretations. This taxonomy produced excellent reproducibility and good agreement across institutions.

    PMID: 18628093 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

    Supplemental Content

    Click here to read Click here to read Click here to read