Thinking Again (PDF)

by H Paul Putman III

Early assessments of medical errors often focused on faulty procedures and systems, but research shows that 75% of these errors are individual and cognitive. Medical professionals are asked to learn, store, and recall vast amounts of information, yet they often receive little instruction on how to recognize, anticipate, and avoid innate mechanisms that can easily lead to cognitive error. This book tackles that deficiency, offering insight and direction into reducing the cognitive errors routinely made by mental health and other medical providers. It outlines the range and variety of cognitive mistakes, examines the brain’s neurocognitive processes, reviews various forms of clinical reasoning, and provides best practices for reducing cognitive errors and identifying new skills to enhance clinical outcomes. At its core, Thinking Again: Reducing Cognitive Errors in Psychiatric Practice argues that it is the ethical duty of medical and mental health professionals to be aware of and seek to reduce cognitive errors. Making this effort leads not only to enhanced professional satisfaction but also to improved assessment, formulation, treatment planning, and patient outcomes.