Reducing diagnostic differences to keep mental health patients safer
Official title: Reducing Variance in Diagnosis of Mental Disorders to Improve Patient Safety
Funded at Rand Corporation · NIH-11424510 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A nationwide project at RAND aims to harmonize how clinicians diagnose mental disorders to prevent misdiagnoses and reduce harm from wrong medications.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rand Corporation NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Santa Monica, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $464,187 |
| NIH project number | 5R18HS030218-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11424510 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients who undergo mental health evaluations and diagnoses in clinical settings.
✕Less likely to help
The work may not directly affect individuals who do not experience diagnostic uncertainty or require mental health care.
What this research studies
This project looks at how doctors and other providers diagnose mental health conditions and how much their diagnoses agree with each other. It plans to identify where disagreements occur and what factors influence them, with the goal of making diagnostic practices more consistent. By reducing variance in diagnosis, the study hopes to lower diagnostic errors and improve patient safety and treatment outcomes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could receive more accurate diagnoses and safer, more appropriate treatments.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has shown that diagnostic consistency can impact treatment quality, but this project extends to broader provider practices and settings.
Where this research is happening
-
Rand Corporation
Santa Monica, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Matthews, Luke — Rand Corporation
- Study coordinator: Matthews, Luke
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.