Diagnostic stewardship represents a partnership between clinicians and diagnostic testing experts to reduce errors in the testing process and, by extension, the diagnostic process. Diagnostic stewardship has been applied to improve testing for a number of conditions. Beyond these current applications, any disease known to be misdiagnosed due to problems in the total testing process could be a target for diagnostic stewardship.
Looking ahead, it will be important to connect the intermediate outcomes of diagnostic stewardship, such as fewer ordering errors and improved communication between clinicians and laboratory personnel, to reductions in diagnostic errors that reach the patient, such as incorrect diagnoses and resulting harm. Given the pivotal role of diagnostic testing in medicine, programs and initiatives to reduce diagnostic error and enhance diagnostic excellence107,108 should include diagnostic stewardship as a core component.
