Cognitive Bias and the Creation and Translation of Evidence Into Clinical Practice. 2016

Donald A Molony
Division of Renal Diseases and Hypertension, Center for Clinical Research and Evidence-based Medicine, McGovern Medical School University of Texas, Houston, TX. Electronic address: donald.a.molony@uth.tmc.edu.

The optimal translation of evidence into the clinical practice of nephrology follows validated evidence-based medicine (EBM) principles. Most importantly, the evidence-based medicine practitioner requires that the evidence, as much as possible, addresses in an unbiased manner clinical questions of importance to patients and reflects the truth. In this chapter, we evaluate how cognitive biases that affect medical decision making might systematically bias the overall management of patients with kidney disease and, thus, distort the observations about disease causation, prognosis, diagnosis, and management that are derived from analysis of administrative databases or electronic medical records of health care systems. These cognitive biases influence how questions are framed, how risk factors and health status are measured, how decisions are made, and what actions are implemented. We explore the nature of these biases and the possible places where such biases are most likely to distort clinical care and the collection of the data that is used to inform clinical practice in nephrology. To the extent that cognitive biases selectively modify diagnostic interrogations and therapeutic interventions in some patients, the resultant databases may provide a skewed picture of the health of the nephrology patient population and should be considered with some skepticism when exploited to achieve best practice.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007674 Kidney Diseases Pathological processes of the KIDNEY or its component tissues. Disease, Kidney,Diseases, Kidney,Kidney Disease
D003071 Cognition Intellectual or mental process whereby an organism obtains knowledge. Cognitive Function,Cognitions,Cognitive Functions,Function, Cognitive,Functions, Cognitive
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000066491 Clinical Decision-Making Process of formulating a diagnosis based on medical history and physical or mental examinations, and/or choosing an appropriate intervention. Medical Decision-Making,Clinical Decision Making,Decision-Making, Clinical,Decision-Making, Medical,Medical Decision Making
D057170 Translational Research, Biomedical The endeavour to traverse a specific step of the translation process of turning an observation in the laboratory, clinic, or community into an intervention that will improve the health of individuals and the public. (from Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2018 July ; 17(7): 455–456.) Translational Medical Research,Translational Research,Translational Research, Medical,Biomedical Translational Research,Medical Research, Translational,Medical Translational Research,Research, Biomedical Translational,Research, Medical Translational,Research, Translational,Research, Translational Medical
D019317 Evidence-Based Medicine An approach of practicing medicine with the goal to improve and evaluate patient care. It requires the judicious integration of best research evidence with the patient's values to make decisions about medical care. This method is to help physicians make proper diagnosis, devise best testing plan, choose best treatment and methods of disease prevention, as well as develop guidelines for large groups of patients with the same disease. (from JAMA 296 (9), 2006) Medicine, Evidence-Based,Evidence Based Medicine,Medicine, Evidence Based
D019468 Disease Management A broad approach to appropriate coordination of the entire disease treatment process that often involves shifting away from more expensive inpatient and acute care to areas such as preventive medicine, patient counseling and education, and outpatient care. This concept includes implications of appropriate versus inappropriate therapy on the overall cost and clinical outcome of a particular disease. (From Hosp Pharm 1995 Jul;30(7):596) Disease Managements,Management, Disease,Managements, Disease

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