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02/01/26

Association between referral letters and diagnostic errors: a single-center, cross-sectional study in general internal medicine in Japan.

Kamiya, Sakura; Nishizawa, Toshinori; Ozawa, Hiroki; Harada, Yukinori; Watari, Takashi; Shimizu, Taro; Sakurai, Madoka; Suzuki, Yuya; Deshpande, Gautam A; Arioka, Hiroko. Diagnosis (Berl).

Collection Topics
Communication Epidemiology
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Summary

The impact of referral documentation on diagnostic accuracy is unclear. This single-center Japanese study examined whether referral letters influence diagnostic errors in patients referred to a general internal medicine clinic. Findings show that referral letters improve communication to support accurate diagnoses and help reduce errors.

Read the paper
Kamiya S, Nishizawa T, Ozawa H, et al. Association between referral letters and diagnostic errors: a single-center, cross-sectional study in general internal medicine in Japan. Diagnosis (Berl). 2026;13(1):46-54.