A method of obtaining well-founded and reproducible results in clinical decision making is presented. It is based on "diagnostic games", a procedure of elicitation and formalization of experts' knowledge and experience. The use of this procedure allows formulating decision rules in the terms of an adequate language, that are both unambiguous and clinically clear.

background: fenestration in the modified fontan operation allows right-to-left shunting, which reduces the fontan pathway pressure and improves cardiac output. however, on account of the fact that persistent right-to-left shunting results in cyanosis and paradoxical emboli, fenestration closure is recommended after recovery from the fontan operation. methods: this study recruited 3 patients who...

OBJECTIVE To assess the association between maternal anxiety during pregnancy and the brain activity of 17 year old adolescents performing two cognitive control tasks. METHODS Twenty-three 17 year old boys of mothers whose level of anxiety was measured during pregnancy were investigated using ERP while performing a Go/Nogo paradigm assessing exogenous cognitive control and a Gambling paradigm...

Dentists are involved in diagnosing disease in every aspect of their clinical practice. A range of tests, systems, guides and equipment--which can be generally referred to as diagnostic procedures--are available to aid in diagnostic decision making. In this era of evidence-based dentistry, and given the increasing demand for diagnostic accuracy and properly targeted health care, it is important...

Risk assessment is a reasoned, structured approach to address uncertainty based on scientific and technical evidence. It forms the foundation for regulatory decision-making, which is bound by legislative and policy requirements, as well as the need for making timely decisions using available resources. In order to be most useful, environmental risk assessments (ERAs) for genetically modified (G...

The medical assessments of criminal responsibility and competence to consent to treatment are performed, developed and debated in distinct domains. In this paper I try to connect these domains by exploring the similarities and differences between both assessments. In my view, in both assessments a decision-making process is evaluated in relation to the possible influence of a mental disorder on...

Modern biotechnology has led to the development and use of Living Modified Organisms (LMOs) for agriculture and other purposes. Regulators at the national level are increasingly depending on risk assessment as a tool for assessing potential adverse effects of LMOs on the environment and human health. In addition, the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, an international agreement expected to enter ...

OBJECTIVE To document and explore the views and experiences of key stakeholders regarding the consent procedures of an emergency research clinical trial examining immediate fluid resuscitation strategies, and to discuss the implications for similar trials in future. METHODS A social science sub-study of the FEAST (Fluid Expansion As Supportive Therapy) trial. Interviews were held with trial t...

Health impact assessment (HIA) is an important tool for exploring the intersection between health and foreign policy, offering a useful analytical approach to increase positive health impacts and minimize negative impacts. Numerous subject areas have brought health and foreign policy together. Yet further opportunities exist for HIA to address a broader range of health impacts that otherwise ma...