Think-aloud technique and protocol analysis in clinical decision-making research

Area of Science:

• Health Care Research
• Cognitive Psychology
• Clinical Decision Making

Background:

• The think-aloud technique and protocol analysis are valuable research methods.
• These methods are infrequently combined or detailed in health care research.
• Consideration of sampling, data collection, management, and analysis is often lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe practical research considerations for combining think-aloud and protocol analysis.
• To explore the application of these methods in acute clinical decision-making research.
• To address the gap in literature regarding the combined use of these techniques in healthcare.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing the think-aloud technique for data collection.
• Employing protocol analysis as the data analysis technique.
• Applying these methods to investigate critical care expert decision-making.

Main Results:

• The combination of think-aloud and protocol analysis is applicable for complex decision-making.
• This approach is effective for studying rapid, ad hoc decisions.
• Examples are drawn from research on critical care experts' decision processes.

Conclusions:

• The think-aloud technique and protocol analysis can be effectively combined in health care research.
• This combined methodology is suitable for investigating intricate decision-making scenarios.
• Further research should detail the practical aspects of employing these methods in clinical settings.