Why Smart People do Dumb Things: Decision Making, Bias and Medical Error
Meeting: ASTRO's 2017 Annual Meeting
Date: September 24, 2017
Time: 1:45- 2:45 p.m.
Session description:
Medical error involves not only failure to carry out intended actions, but also errors in judgment, which are heavily influenced by our manner of thinking. The field of cognitive science seeks to better understand how we process information and make decisions. This session will serve to explore how rationally irrational we are, how heuristics and type 1 thinking tend to govern the day, how cognitive biases shape our decisions and what tools (like metacognition, cognitive debiasing) can be used to help mitigate the influence of these biases. We will, as part of this session, also review an incident video on cognitive bias especially created for this session, which can then be accessed at home to help teach one's own institution, and use practical examples commonly encountered in the Radiation Oncology clinic to illustrate these principles. Daylian Cain will be assisting with this presentation. Professor Cain's research focuses on "judgment and decision-making." In other words, he studies the reasons why smart people do dumb things. Notably, Cain's research has been discussed in the Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, Forbes, The New Yorker, the Washington Post, BusinessWeek, USA Today, the New York Times and other top media outlets such as NPR. Cain has won national teaching awards and has also appeared as a commentator on National Geographic's popular TV show, Brain Games. Professor Cain's September 2017 schedule is not yet available, although he is aware of this session proposal and he has responded favorably provided there are no conflicts with other commitments.
Target Audience
This continuing medical education activity is designed to meet the interests of radiation oncologists, radiation oncology residents, radiation biologists, radiation physicists, dosimetrists, oncologists working in related specialties, radiation therapists, radiation oncology nurses, radiation oncology administrators, diagnostic radiologists and all other health professionals involved in the field of radiation oncology.
Learning Objectives
- Distinguish between type 1 and type 2 thinking.
- Utilize bias terminology to accurately describe biases commonly encountered in the clinical decision making workflow.
- Practice debiasing strategies.
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is accredited by the Accreditation Council of Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing education to physicians.
ASTRO is awarded Deemed Status by the American Board of Radiology to provide SA-CME as part of Part II Maintenance of Certification.
Available Credit
- 1.50 SA-CME
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is accredited by the Accreditation Council of Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) designates this for a maximum of 1.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
This activity meets the American Board of Radiology's criteria for a self-assessment activity in the ABR's Maintenance of Certification program. Participation in this course in combination with the successful completion of the corresponding assessment and course evaluation adheres to the guidelines established by the ABR for 1.50 self-assessment credits.