Medical Thinking: The Psychology of Medical Judgment and Decision Making

Decision making is the physician's major activity. Every day, in doctors' offices throughout the world, patients describe their symptoms and com­ plaints while doctors perform examinations, order tests, and, on the basis of these data, decide what is wrong and what should be done. Although the process may appear routine-even to the physicians in­ volved-each step in the sequence requires skilled clinical judgment. Physicians must decide: which symptoms are important, whether any laboratory ...