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03/02/26

Physician-reported diagnostic uncertainty among children discharged from the pediatric emergency department with acute respiratory illness.

Geanacopoulos, Alexandra T; Drescher, Carolyn; Kanaan, Joseph; Neuman, Mark I; Peltz, Alon; Ong, Mei-Sing; Cifra, Christina L; Walsh, Kathleen E. Pediatr Emerg Care.

Collection Topics
Cognition and Decision Making Communication
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Summary

Acknowledging diagnostic uncertainty to caregivers can undermine trust. This cross-sectional study examined how often physicians reported uncertainty when discharging children with acute respiratory illness from the emergency department and outlined related communication strategies and challenges. Nearly one-third of these discharges involved uncertainty. Further research should include clinicians and families to improve family-centered communication about uncertainty.

Read the paper
Geanacopoulos AT, Drescher C, Kanaan J, et al. Physician-reported diagnostic uncertainty among children discharged from the pediatric emergency department with acute respiratory illness. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2026;42(7):544-550.