title: Cognitive schemes and strategies in diagnostic and therapeutic decision making: a primer for trainees.
abstract: Unlike novices, expert clinicians develop refined schemes and strategies that predictably allow them to provide a better quality, prompt and less error-prone patient care input. Empowering novices with cognitive aids or mental schemes as early as possible in their clinical career may significantly improve their critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making skills. These cognitive aids may also improve trainees' use of evidence-based medicine in addition to reducing their diagnostic errors and improving their therapeutic care inputs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine 1443, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences and King Abdulaziz Medical City, P. O. Box 22490, Riyadh, 11426, Saudi Arabia. imadsahassan@yahoo.co.uk.
authors.forename: Imad Salah Ahmed
authors.initials: ISA
authors.lastname: Hassan