Incorporating emotions into clinical decision-making solutions

• Published in: Healthcare : the journal of delivery science and innovation Vol. 9; no. 3; p. 100569
• Main Authors: Zhang, Irene Y., Liao, Joshua M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Inc 01-09-2021
• Subjects: Clinical Decision-Making; Decision Making; Emotions; Humans; Physicians
• ISSN: 2213-0764; 2213-0772
• DOI: 10.1016/j.hjdsi.2021.100569

Health and emotions are inexorably connected. Yet there is still little emphasis on emotions in many clinical decision-making tools and interventions. Instead, existing solutions have tended to target cognition – how people comprehend and act on information about health and disease. While clear thinking contributes to better choices, a potential consequence of heavily targeting cognition is an under-emphasis on emotions - a tendency to work on improving how people think about health care choices without addressing how they feel about them. Several solutions can help clinicians and behavioral scientists address these dynamics: critically evaluating current decision-making conceptual frameworks and strategies, searching for areas where emotions may play a role and where they may have been overlooked; and filling any identified gaps by drawing on insights from affective science. Clinical decision-making solutions should address how individuals feel, not just how they think.