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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 11, 2026

Pioneering Patient-Specific Approaches for Precision Surgery Using Imaging and Virtual Reality

Pioneering Patient-Specific Approaches for Precision Surgery Using Imaging and Virtual Reality

Published on: April 5, 2024

Clinical decision making: how surgeons do it.

Wendy Crebbin¹, Spencer W Beasley, David A K Watters

¹Education Development and Research Department, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. wendy.crebbin@surgeons.org

ANZ Journal of Surgery

|May 4, 2013

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Surgical decision-making blends intuitive and analytical thinking, varying with case complexity and surgeon expertise. Understanding these complex cognitive processes is crucial for teaching surgical trainees effectively.

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Area of Science:

Medical Education
Cognitive Psychology
Surgical Practice

Background:

Clinical decision making is a fundamental surgical skill.
It encompasses a spectrum from intuitive to analytical thought processes.
Expert surgeons navigate this continuum based on situation complexity and experience.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine clinical decision-making processes in surgery.
To explore decision-making during patient management, pre-operative preparation, and intra-operative review.
To aid surgeons in understanding and teaching decision-making skills to trainees.

Main Methods:

Conceptual modeling of cognitive processes in surgical decision-making.
Analysis of decision-making across three distinct surgical contexts.
Exploration of the continuum from subconscious to conscious mental processes.

Main Results:

Expert decision-making involves pattern recognition, analytical thinking, and managing uncertainty.
Cognitive processes are complex and challenging for experts to articulate.
Decision-making varies based on the surgeon's experience and the specific clinical scenario.

Conclusions:

Clinical decision-making in surgery is multifaceted, integrating various cognitive strategies.
Defining and measuring decision-making competency is essential for surgical training.
This work provides models to enhance understanding and teaching of expert surgical decision-making.