Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Case-based clinical reasoning in feline medicine: 3: Use of heuristics and illness scripts.
- Journal:
- Journal of feline medicine and surgery
- Year:
- 2016
- Authors:
- Whitehead, Martin L et al.
- Affiliation:
- Chipping Norton Veterinary Hospital · United Kingdom
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
This article is part of a series aimed at helping veterinarians improve their decision-making skills when diagnosing cats. It emphasizes the importance of understanding how they think, balancing their instincts with careful analysis to avoid mistakes. The series discusses different ways of thinking, including quick, instinctive judgments and more thoughtful, detailed reasoning. In this final installment, the focus is on using mental shortcuts and structured approaches to make better diagnoses. Overall, the goal is to enhance the accuracy of veterinary care for cats by refining how veterinarians approach their cases.
Abstract
AIM: This is Article 3 of a three-part series on clinical reasoning that encourages practitioners to explore and understand how they think and make case-based decisions. It is hoped that, in the process, they will learn to trust their intuition but, at the same time, put in place safeguards to diminish the impact of bias and misguided logic on their diagnostic decision-making. SERIES OUTLINE: Article 1, published in the January 2016 issue of JFMS, discussed the relative merits and shortcomings of System 1 thinking (immediate and unconscious) and System 2 thinking (effortful and analytical). In Article 2, published in the March 2016 issue, ways of managing cognitive error, particularly the negative impact of bias, in making a diagnosis were examined. This final article explores the use of heuristics (mental short cuts) and illness scripts in diagnostic reasoning.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27143043/