Doctor, Know Thyself: Decisions and Cognitive Bias

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: Decision making is at the core of clinical practice. Yet, an untold proportion of humanity goes through life unaware of the mental shortcuts and systematic deviations from truth that affect the decision-making process, a reality to which clinicians are not immune. This interactive presentation will introduce the audience to fundamental concepts in the science of decision making, borrowing from the disciplines of psychology and behavioral economics. Well-established concepts from seminal publications will be summarized as a foundation for understanding. A distinction will be drawn between random biases and cognitive biases, the latter of which can be mitigated by deliberate self-awareness. Otolaryngology-specific clinical scenarios will be used to illustrate an array of important cognitive biases, as well as powerful heuristics including anchoring, availability, and representativeness. The presentation will explore the interplay between weights and biases, and consider the merits of an algorithmic approach to decision making. Finally, consideration will be given to a potential role for artificial intelligence to remedy our human tendency for bias.