Agent skill · research science · erichowens
clinical-diagnostic-reasoning
Identify and counteract cognitive biases in medical decision-making through systematic error analysis and contextual algorithm application. For diagnostic reasoning, treatment decisions, and
Why this skill is useful
Provides systematic approaches to identify and counteract cognitive biases in clinical decision-making that are not commonly found in general medical training.
What it needs
About 6k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-07-14. 180 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
Clinical Diagnostic Reasoning Improve diagnostic accuracy and treatment decisions by recognizing and overcoming systematic cognitive errors in clinical thinking. When to Use ✅ Use for: Diagnostic decision-making in clinical practice Treatment planning and therapeutic choices Case review and error analysis Medical education on clinical reasoning Patient communication and shared decision-making Quality improvement and patient safety initiatives ❌ NOT for: Learning basic medical facts or pathophysiology Technical procedures or surgical skills Healthcare administration or policy Non-physician clinical roles without diagnostic responsibility Population health management without individual patient focus Core Process Diagnostic Reasoning Flow Case-Based Error Analysis Flow Patient Communication Flow Anti-Patterns Satisfaction of Search Novice approach: Finds one clinically interesting explanation and stops diagnostic inquiry. "The patient has pneumonia, that explains the fever and cough." Expert approach: After finding initial explanation, explicitly asks: "What else could be present? Does this explain ALL findings? Could there be a coexisting condition?" Timeline: Develops over years of clinical experience through cases where initial findings were incomplete or coincidental. Critical moment comes when missing a second diagnosis causes patient harm—realization that "not finding everything is suboptimal." Anchoring Error Novice approach: Initial symptoms or emergency department triage note establishes diagnosis that persists despite contradictory information. "ED said anxiety attack, so I'm treating anxiety." Expert approach: Periodically resets evaluation without reference to initial impressions. "If I saw this patient fresh right now, what would I think?" Actively seeks information contradicting initial hypothesis. Timeline: Requires recognizing pattern across multiple cases where initial impression proved misleading. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills erichowens/clinical-diagnostic-reasoning