anchoring

Clinical significance

• source of diagnostic error
• occurs when a clinician latches onto a diagnosis & fails to consider other possibilities
• an example is formulating a diagnosis based on initial impression & failing to consider other diagnoses as additional information becomes avaiblable

Complications

• anchoring bias in triage (incorrect initial impressions) may delay correct diagnosis

Management

• consider findings inconsistent with anchoring diagnosis
• consider worst-case scenario of differential diagnosis

More general terms

• bias

Additional terms

• diagnostic error (missed diagnosis)