Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Clinical decision-making by midwives: managing case complexity

J Cioffi1, R Markham

  • 1School of Health, Faculty of Health, Humanities and Social Ecology, University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury, NSW, Australia.

Journal of Advanced Nursing
|February 1, 1997
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Circulating and Endometrial Regulatory T Cell and Related Populations in Endometriosis and Infertility: Endometriosis Is Associated with Blunting of Endometrial Cyclical Effects and Reduced Proportions in Moderate-Severe Disease.

Reproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.)·2021
Same author

Comprehensive analysis utilizing flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry reveals inflammatory changes in local endometrial and systemic dendritic cell populations in endometriosis.

Human reproduction (Oxford, England)·2020
Same author

Foetal haemoglobin, blood transfusion, and retinopathy of prematurity in very preterm infants: a pilot prospective cohort study.

Eye (London, England)·2017
Same author

Author reply.

Internal medicine journal·2016
Same author

Coronary computed tomography angiography and its increasing application in day to day cardiology practice.

Internal medicine journal·2016
Same author

Dysregulation of vascular endothelial growth factors and their neuropilin receptors in the eutopic endometrium of women with endometriosis.

Reproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.)·2013
Same journal

Elderspeak in Healthcare Settings: How Care, Control and Personhood Intersect in Care Communication-A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis.

Journal of advanced nursing·2026
Same journal

A Model for Sustaining Second Victim Peer Support Programs in Healthcare: A Delphi Study.

Journal of advanced nursing·2026
Same journal

The Practice Experience of ICU Nurses in Preventing Pressure Injuries: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis.

Journal of advanced nursing·2026
Same journal

Capturing the Work of Nurses in General Practice: Development and Testing of the OCEAN-GPN Tools.

Journal of advanced nursing·2026
Same journal

The European Parliament's Vote on the EU Health Workforce INI Report: An EFN Commentary.

Journal of advanced nursing·2026
Same journal

Social Avoidance Trajectories, Core Characteristics and Maintenance Factors in Postoperative Breast Cancer Patients: A Longitudinal Mixed-Methods Study.

Journal of advanced nursing·2026
See all related articles

Midwives utilize cognitive shortcuts, known as heuristics, to simplify complex clinical judgments. These experience-based heuristics aid in efficient and accurate decision-making during patient assessments.

Area of Science:

  • Clinical Decision-Making
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Midwifery Practice

Background:

  • Clinical judgment involves complex decision-making processes.
  • Midwives may employ heuristics to simplify these tasks.
  • Understanding these cognitive strategies is crucial for improving care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the use of heuristics by midwives during clinical judgment.
  • To compare heuristic use in high versus low complexity patient assessments.
  • To identify the types of heuristics employed and their impact on decisions.

Main Methods:

  • Thirty midwives participated in simulated patient assessment scenarios.
  • Think-aloud protocols were used to capture decision-making processes.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Verbal data were analyzed to identify heuristic use and types.

    • Main Results:

    • Heuristics were used more frequently in high complexity cases.
    • The 'representativeness' heuristic was dominant in both high and low complexity scenarios.
    • Heuristics influenced decisions, particularly those based on memory for specific conditions.

    Conclusions:

    • Midwives rely on experience-derived heuristics to manage cognitive load.
    • Heuristics facilitate efficient and reasonably accurate clinical decision-making.
    • These findings highlight the role of cognitive shortcuts in expert judgment.