Thinking about our Thinking: An Exploration of Cognitive
Bias and Clinical Reasoning Pitfalls
Kathleen Huth, MD, FRCPC
MMSc. Medical Education Candidate, Harvard Medical School
Lecturer, Department of Pediatrics, University of Ottawa
Celeste Royce, MD
Instructor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical
Center
Please note, this program was originally offered on 5/10/16 and due to high demand is
being offered again on 11/16/16.
Overview:
The diagnostic process is a complex activity that relies on critical thinking skills often
not explicitly taught in medical school. In light of a recent report by the Institute of
Medicine on diagnostic error in health care, we are called to examine our decisionmaking processes and potential pitfalls as a quality imperative. The Pathways
curriculum at HMS has incorporated explicit teaching of clinical reasoning skills in the
context of the cognitive science about how we think.
In this interactive workshop, participants will engage in activities that encourage
metacognition, drawing from the psychological and behavioural economics literature.
We will explore real clinical cases in which cognitive bias has been a contributing factor
in patient morbidity and mortality. We intend for these reflections to serve as a
springboard for discussion on debiasing strategies, as we address the challenge of
developing an educational culture that is purposeful in fostering clinical reasoning skills
in our learners.
This workshop is sponsored by the HMS Academy Critical Thinking Interest Group. CoChairs: Joseph Rhatigan, MD and Celeste Royce, MD
Objectives:
Upon completion of this workshop, learners will be able to:
Explain the use of heuristics in the clinical reasoning process, and potential
ramifications for patient care.
Describe common cognitive biases and recognize how they manifest in clinical cases.
Discuss strategies for improving clinical reasoning skills, with the goal of mitigating
medical error.