Ultrasound to reduce cognitive errors in the ED.
Emergency medicine setting is intrinsically prone to a greater risk of medical errors than other specialties. Cognitive errors are particularly frequent when the clinical decision-making process heavily relies on heuristics. These could be defined as "mental shortcuts," which enable physicians to rapidly overcome both time and efforts required by the normative reasoning. Our article demonstrates how emergency physicians' thinking may be affected by failed heuristics, through the description of 3 real clinical cases. We aimed to show how the proper use of a widespread and easy-learning technology, such as goal-directed, focused ultrasonography, may both counteract cognitive errors and favor the right interpretation of other examinations.
High Dependency Unit, San Giovanni Bosco Hospital, Piazza Donatore del Sangue 3, 10154 Torino, Italy. fabrizioelia@yahoo.it
Fabrizio
F
Elia
Francesco
F
Panero
Paola
P
Molino
Giovanni
G
Ferrari
Franco
F
Aprà
D000368:Aged; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019300:Medical Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010490:Pericardial Effusion / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001261:Pulmonary Atelectasis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014682:Vena Cava, Inferior / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging