title: A patient with new Q waves: methods for decision making in the individual patient.
abstract: Decision analysis, an analytic approach to making decisions when uncertainty is present, has its foundation in probability and utility theory. It provides insights into the trade-offs that are involved when a selection must be made among patient management strategies. In general, several broad steps are involved. The process begins by formulating the clinical problem as a well focused choice among a limited set of clinical etiologies. These strategies are then structured explicitly in a model that depicts the clinical events that may ensue from each option. By assigning probability values to each outcome, the weighted average outcome or expected utility can be calculated for each alternative strategy. The strategy with the highest expected utility is the optimal one. The methods of decision analysis offer a number of distinct advantages. These include: 1) providing a structure with which to simplify and focus clinical dilemmas; 2) providing a forum for discussing clinical reasoning; and 3) developing a consensus among groups of decision makers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, New England Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Moskowitz
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Pauker
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis / Q000379:methods; D003661:Decision Support Techniques; D003663:Decision Trees; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007431:Intraoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D008017:Life Expectancy; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D011336:Probability; D012307:Risk Factors; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000191:economics; D013997:Time Factors