Why Smart Oncology Clinicians do Dumb Things: A Review of Cognitive Bias in Radiation Oncology

This review will discuss the (perhaps biased) way in which smart oncologists think, biases they can identify, and potential strategies to minimize the impact of bias. It is critical to understand cognitive bias as a significant risk (recognized by the Joint Commission) associated with patient safety, and cognitive bias has been implicated in major radiotherapy incidents. The way in which we think are reviewed, covering both System 1 and system 2 processes of thinking, as well as behavioral economics concepts (prospect theory, expected utility theory). Predisposing factors to cognitive error are explained, with exploration of the groupings of person factors, patient factors, and system factors which can influence the quality of our decision-making. Other factors found to influence decision making are also discussed (rudeness, repeated decision making, hunger, personal attitudes). The review goes on to discuss cognitive bias in the clinic and in workplace interactions (including recruitment), with practical examples provided of each bias. Finally, the review covers strategies to combat cognitive bias, including summarize aloud, crowd wisdom, prospective hindsight, and joint evaluation. More definitive ways to mitigate bias are desirable.