Diagnostic errors in critically ill patients: challenges, contributing factors, and improvement strategies through the SEIPS framework.

Diagnostic error is particularly consequential in critically ill patients, where rapidly changing physiology and complex workflows amplify uncertainty. This commentary applies the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) framework to examine diagnostic-error contributors across the diagnostic process. The authors summarize cognitive biases that affect ICU care and expand their analysis beyond individual actions to advocate for system-level interventions addressing workflow, communication, and organizational conditions.