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Decision Making in Paediatric Cardiology. Are We Prone to Heuristics, Biases and Traps?

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Abstract

Hidden traps in decision making have been long recognised in the behavioural economics community. Yet we spend very limited, if any time, analysing our decision-making processes in medicine and paediatric cardiology. Systems 1 and 2 thought processes differentiate between rapid emotional thoughts and slow deliberate rational thoughts. For fairly clear cut medical decisions, in-depth analysis may not be needed, but in our field of paediatric cardiology it is not uncommon for challenging cases and occasionally ‘simple’ cases to generate significant debate and uncertainty as to the best decision. Although morbidity and mortality meetings frequently highlight poor outcomes for our patients, they often neglect to analyse the process of thought which underlined those decisions taken. This article attempts to review commonly acknowledged traps in decision making in the behavioural economics world to ascertain whether these heuristics translate to decision making in the paediatric cardiology environment. We also discuss potential individual and collective solutions to pitfalls in decision making.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to acknowledge Professor Nathan Novemsky, Professor of Marketing and Psychology, Yale School of Behavioural Management, New Haven, Connecticut, USA, for guidance on this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Paediatric Cardiology Department, Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children, Dublin, Ireland

    Aedin Ryan, Sophie Duignan, Damien Kenny & Colin J. McMahon

  2. School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin, 4, Ireland

    Colin J. McMahon

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  1. Aedin Ryan
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  2. Sophie Duignan
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  3. Damien Kenny
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  4. Colin J. McMahon
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Correspondence to Colin J. McMahon.

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Ryan, A., Duignan, S., Kenny, D. et al. Decision Making in Paediatric Cardiology. Are We Prone to Heuristics, Biases and Traps?. Pediatr Cardiol 39, 160–167 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00246-017-1742-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00246-017-1742-2

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