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

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.

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.

Jonathan Howard MD

Assistant Professor, Neurology and Psychiatry

NYU Langone Medical Center

New York, NY