Pre-procedural disclosure of potential diagnostic errors in radiology: public perspectives in the Netherlands

Abstract Objective To assess public attitudes toward prospective disclosure of diagnostic error risk in radiologic imaging (i.e., informing patients in advance about the possibility a radiologic examination may yield an incorrect finding, rather than disclosure of an error after it has occurred) and to identify factors influencing these preferences. Materials and methods A population-based survey was conducted in the Netherlands. Participants aged ≥ 18 years ( n  = 1524) responded to CT-scan vignettes describing pre-procedural potential diagnostic errors, varying by patient age (9, 26, 46, or 71 years) and probability of incorrect findings (< 0.1%, < 1%, < 5%, or unspecified). For case vignettes involving 9-year-old patients, participants responded as parents/guardians. Agreement with “I would want to be informed” was measured using a 4-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = agree, 4 = strongly agree).