Week 4 Forum

hallucination

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 15:29:25 GMT

by Bouadoua Sylvie Kouao.

My client frequently fights with someone during the night and has no memory of it when he wakes up

Cognitive bias in patients with disabilities

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 15:29:05 GMT

by Sonia Mendes Da Cruz Furtado.

One of cognitive bias in Health and Social Care is health care professionals sometimes assuming that patients with disabilities do not understand the treatment. For example a nurse explaining the treatment only facing a family member and not the patient assuming because of his disability he does not understand, when the patient actually are able to make decisions and understand about their care.

Cognitive Bias

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 15:25:57 GMT

by Moawia Edris Adam Haron.

During a busy shift on a medical ward, a patient was admitted with shortness of breath and fatigue. In the handover from the emergency department, the patient’s symptoms were initially described as likely related to anxiety because the patient had a history of panic attacks. Because of this information, the healthcare team, including myself, focused on anxiety as the main cause of the symptoms.

While assessing the patient, I noticed they were still breathless and looked slightly pale. However, I initially interpreted these symptoms as part of their anxiety. Later, further investigations showed the patient had a pulmonary embolism that required urgent treatment.

This situation demonstrated anchoring bias, where the first piece of information strongly influences clinical judgement. It reminded me of the importance of carrying out independent assessments, questioning initial assumptions, and escalating concerns if a patient’s condition does not improve or match the expected diagnosis.