Improving Medical-Decision Through Cognition, Technology and Communication, Phase 2

This project will introduce and evaluate an intervention designed to improve diagnostic decision making. The intervention will attempt to increase clinician mindfulness and reduce environmental distractions to promote system 2 thinking. A meta-cognitive intervention using a structured checklist will be evaluated to identify improvement in diagnostic and therapeutic decision-making and examine the role of mindfulness and architectural design in enhancing patient safety.

This a pretest-posttest design study that will be conducted with hospitalist physicians working at Michigan Medicine and/or the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. The proposed intervention will provide the participants with tools to help promote mindfulness and focus to assist with the diagnostic process. To reduce distraction, headphones to block out surrounding noise and table screens to limit distractions will be offered. To assist with diagnosis, a diagnostic checklist and use of a IPad to use an online diagnosis application will be provided.