Unlocking intuition and expertise: using interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore clinical decision making

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Research
• Cognitive Psychology
• Clinical Practice

Background:

• Clinical decision-making is a complex field requiring further research.
• Expert clinicians utilize both heuristics/biases and intuition.
• Understanding how clinicians manage complexity and uncertainty is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To discuss the utility of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA).
• To elucidate clinical decision-making, expertise, and intuition.
• To explore the application of IPA in healthcare.

Main Methods:

• A narrative review of published IPA studies.
• Focus on studies exploring clinical decision-making.
• Discussion of an exemplar IPA study.

Main Results:

• Limited IPA studies exist in this domain.
• IPA provides ecologically valid insights into real-world decision-making.
• Reveals the nature of high-stakes, time-critical decisions with limited information.

Conclusions:

• IPA has significant unrealized potential in clinical decision-making research.
• Findings can inform education, assessment, and support interventions.
• Future applications may enhance understanding of multidisciplinary decision-making, expertise, and intuition.