Cognitive Errors and Diagnostic Mistakes: A Case-Based Guide to Critical Thinking in Medicine

by Jonathan Howard

Overview

This case-based book illustrates and explores common cognitive biases and their consequences in the practice of medicine. The book begins with an introduction that explains the concept of cognitive errors and their importance in clinical medicine and current controversies within healthcare. The core of the book features chapters dedicated to particular cognitive biases; cases are presented and followed by a discussion of the clinician's rationale and an overview of the particular cognitive bias. Engaging and easy to read, this text provides strategies on minimizing cognitive errors in various medical and professional settings.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783319932231
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	11/28/2018
Edition description:	1st ed. 2019
Pages:	588
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Jonathan Howard MD

Assistant Professor, Neurology and Psychiatry

NYU Langone Medical Center

New York, NY

Table of Contents

An introduction to cognitive biases and how they led to errors and impact medical diagnoses.- Aggregate bias.- Anchoring.- Availability.- Base-rate neglect.- Commission bias.- Diagnosis momentum.- Feedback sanction.- Framing effect.- Fundamental attribution error.- Gambler’s fallacy.- Gender bias.- Hindsight bias.- Multiple alternatives bias.- Omission bias.- Order effects.- Outcome bias.- Overconfidence bias.- Playing the odds.- Posterior probability error.- Premature closure.- Psych-out error.- Representativeness restraint.- Search satisfying.- Sutton’s slip.- Triage cueing.- Unpacking principle.- Vertical line failure.- Visceral bias.- Yin Yang.- Strategies to improve critical thinking and minimize cognitive biases/diagnostic errors.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Michael Raddock, MD (The MetroHealth System)
Description: This book covers common diagnostic and cognitive errors that occur in the practice of clinical medicine in the United States. Examples or errors are illustrated using clinical cases.
Purpose: The purpose is to reduce errors in medicine through the reduction of cognitive errors and systematic processes. The book contributes to this field of inquiry and meets its objectives through the cases.
Audience: The audience is doctors in any stage of their careers, and the book meets the needs of many who will read it. The author demonstrates a broad knowledge of this subject.
Features: This book covers a variety of types of cognitive biases that lead to errors in medicine. There are shorter sections on systems errors and research errors. The best aspect of the book is the use of cases that are recognizable to many clinicians. A weakness comes when attempting to offer effective remedies for these biases and errors. The language and writing are accessible and clear. A shortcoming is the broad attack on complementary and alternative medicine as evidenced by statements like, "The idea of a CAM practitioner abandoning a treatment that has been proven ineffective is almost laughable on its face."
Assessment: This is a useful resource for those interested in learning more about cognitive errors in medicine. It is easy to read and adds to the literature in this field through the use of numerous cases and examples. The small sections on system and research errors increase the book's breadth and relevance. It does not offer many effective ways to combat these errors, however. The attack on complementary and alternative practitioners weakens the otherwise balanced tone.

Doody's Review Service

This book is a textbook explaining our cognitive errors. Its theme is medicine but the same errors occur everywhere. We all need to understand our psychological foibles in order to think clearly about every aspect of our lives and to make the best decisions. Every doctor would benefit from reading this book, and I wish it could be required reading in medical schools. I wish everyone who considers trying CAM would read it first.” (Sciene-Based Medicine, sciencebasedmedicine.org, January, 2019)​

From the Publisher