March 2025 Pick of the Month

Introducing the AEM Special Issue on the Science of Errors in Emergency Care

This month’s Pick of the Month addresses the entire March 2025 issue of AEM, which is dedicated to the broad topic of errors in emergency care, with a particular focus on diagnostic error. Readers will likely recognize that this topic has garnered much attention in the past few years and has generated polarized opinions. 

Much can be gleaned from the contributions to this special issue, but one overarching point is the consensus that we need to move beyond blame, guilt, and “finding out what the physician did wrong.” We must evolve toward understanding errors as multifaceted, often at the intersection of many forces: inadequate awareness, gaps in knowledge and communication, and numerous system-based factors. 

This special issue contains a breadth of topics, ranging from the problem of “left without being seen” to decisions about imaging for pulmonary embolism in pregnancy. Of note, this is the largest AEM issue ever published in terms of number of articles. The authors of these articles are the luminaries in the field of errors in emergency care (you’ll need to read the issue to find out who). 

This issue would not have been possible without the dedication and hard work of its special editors: Richard T. Griffey MD, Brandon C. Maughan MD, MHS, MSHP, and Margaret E. Samuels-Kalow MD, MPhil, MSHP. Additionally, this issue was supported by a contract awarded to SAEM by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.  

Jeffrey A. Kline, MD
Wayne State University School of Medicine
Editor-in-Chief