Cognitive Biases in Health Care Tip Sheet

Clinical decisions often happen fast and under pressure. That is when cognitive biases can influence judgment, communication, and follow-through. This tip sheet provides a clear, quick-reference guide to help teams spot common thinking traps and apply simple safeguards that improve patient safety.

Who it’s for:

• Physicians, nurses, and interdisciplinary care teams
• Patient safety, risk management and quality leaders
• Clinical educators, residency and training programs
• Teams reviewing events, near misses and diagnostic concerns

What it can be used for

• Supporting diagnostic safety and decision-making conversations
• Improving case review quality
• Building shared language around bias
• Training leaders to coach teams during stressful, ambiguous situations

What’s Inside:

• Situation: When bias is most likely (time pressure, handoffs, competing priorities)
• Background: Common cognitive biases and how they show up in care delivery
• Assessment: Red flags that bias may be affecting decisions or communication
• Recommendations: Practical debiasing tactics (timeouts, second looks, structured checks)