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Cognitive Errors

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Patient Safety in Surgery

Abstract

Research into human cognition exploded in the 1970s. A dual system of reasoning was outlined by Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky. System 1 is the instinctual limbic pattern recognition that integrates senses, feelings and gut instincts. System 2 is the more logical hypothetico-deductive style with differential diagnoses and testing of various hypotheses. System 1 improves as you gain experience in the rich tapestry of the clinical practice of medicine. Most clinical decisions are made in the System 1 arena and this has tremendous benefit as it allows us to process a vast amount of clinical information quickly. However, certain cognitive biases may lead to a discrete pattern of errors in System 1 thinking. An understanding of these biases will help improve your safety in the practice of medicine and provide a cognitive toolkit for better care.

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Correspondence to Dennis J. Boyle MD .

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag London

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Boyle, D.J. (2014). Cognitive Errors. In: Stahel, P., Mauffrey, C. (eds) Patient Safety in Surgery. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4369-7_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4369-7_3

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  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-4368-0

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