Even without our biases, the outlook for prognostication is grim

doi:10.1186/cc7944

Critical Care

Volume 13
Issue 4

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Commentary

Even without our biases, the outlook for prognostication is grim

James Downar¹^,2^,3^,4

¹University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

²Toronto East General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

³Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

⁴Toronto General Hospital, 9N-926, 200 Elizabeth St, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 2C4

author email corresponding author email

Critical Care 2009, 13:168doi:10.1186/cc7944


Published:	20 July 2009

See related research by O'Brien et al., http://ccforum.com/content/13/3/R96

Abstract

Physicians are biased and imprecise, but we are better at predicting mortality in the intensive care unit than any mathematical model currently available. But even if we were flawless prognosticators, we would still be left with the larger ethical problem of what to do with prognostic information. In order to translate prognosis into recommendation, we need to know about patient values.