Highlights
- •Clinical decision making is complex and involves many cognitive reasoning processes.
- •Identifying cognitive decision processes and biases increase accuracy during clinical diagnosis formation.
- •Supportive strategies including both clinician and health-care system improvements can reduce diagnostic errors.
Abstract
The medical community abides by oaths and expectations as they care for patients,
with the general consensus of “do no harm” to the patient. One of the most feared
acts is a medical error that could have been avoided. Included in medical errors are
diagnostic errors, which can occur in all areas of medicine. Understanding our decision-making
process can improve our diagnostic skills and identify any influences leading to an
error. This article will provide nurse practitioners with ways to become more self-aware
with every patient encounter and improve their understanding of diagnostic error.
Keywords
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References
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Biography
Christina Cantey, MSN, FNP-C, is a nurse practitioner at McMillon Medical Group, Huntsville, Alabama, and can be contacted at [email protected]
Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 27, 2020
Footnotes
In compliance with national ethical guidelines, the author reports no relationships with business or industry that would pose a conflict of interest.
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
