Heuristics in the delivery room

Decisions about delivery Heuristics, or simplified decision rules, have been found to influence decision-making in several settings. Singh found that when patients experience a complication during birth either via vaginal or cesarean delivery, their doctors are more likely to switch to the opposite delivery mode for their next patient’s birth (see the Perspective by Li and Colby). There is also evidence that this heuristic may lead to worse patient outcomes. —TSR