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02/02/26

Evidence of availability bias in diagnostic reasoning following real clinical encounters: a cross-sectional survey of physicians.

Moura, Eduardo Cardoso de; Goldszmidt, Rafael; Andrade, Eduardo Bittencourt. BMJ Qual Saf.

Collection Topics
Cognition and Decision Making
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Summary

Diagnostic errors are a major issue in healthcare, and cognitive biases contribute to their occurrence. This Brazilian survey shows that experience and specialization influence practitioner vulnerability to availability bias. The findings underscore how knowledge and feedback help reduce bias, highlighting the importance of expertise built over time through real-life exposure to clinical challenges.

Read the paper
Moura EC de, Goldszmidt R, Andrade EB. Evidence of availability bias in diagnostic reasoning following real clinical encounters: a cross-sectional survey of physicians. BMJ Qual Saf. Epub 2026 Feb 2.