Emerging paradigms of cognition in medical decision-making.

Full Abstract

The limitations of the classical or traditional paradigm of decision research are increasingly apparent, even though there has been a substantial body of empirical research on medical decision-making over the past 40 years. As decision-support technology continues to proliferate in medical settings, it is imperative that "basic science" decision research develop a broader-based and more valid foundation for the study of medical decision-making as it occurs in the natural setting. This paper critically reviews both traditional and recent approaches to medical decision making, considering the integration of problem-solving and decision-making research paradigms, the role of conceptual knowledge in decision-making, and the emerging paradigm of naturalistic decision-making. We also provide an examination of technology-mediated decision-making. Expanding the scope of decision research will better enable us to understand optimal decision processes, suitable coping mechanisms under suboptimal conditions, the development of expertise in decision-making, and ways in which decision-support technology can successfully mediate decision processes.

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Author information

Author/s: Patel, Vimla L (VL); Kaufman, David R (DR); Arocha, Jose F (JF);

Affiliation: Laboratory for Decision Making and Cognition, Departments of Medical Informatics and Psychiatry, Columbia University, Vanderbilt Clinic Bldg., 5th Floor, 622 West 168th Street, New York 1003, USA. patel(-atsign-)dmi.columbia.edu

Grants: LM06594 (Agency:United States NLM)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.; Review

Journal: Journal of biomedical informatics (J Biomed Inform), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2002-Feb; vol 35 (issue 1) : pp 52-75

Dates: Created 2002/11/05; Completed 2003/04/07; Revised 2007/11/14;

PMID: 12415726, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Humans
Medical Records Systems, Computerized
Models, Psychological
Problem Solving

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