PhD-Course "Medical Decision Making"

Under the direction of Prof. Dr. Thomas Mayrhofer (University of Heidelberg), this course introduces doctoral students to medical decision-making. The focus is on analyzing decisions under uncertainty by combining test information theory and expected utility theory to support informed testing and treatment decisions in the presence of diagnostic risk.

Both single and multiple tests as well as diagnostic models in which the decision is made on the basis of the test results are dealt with. In addition, non-expectancy-based utility models are presented, which can explain certain decision behaviors, but are only suitable for normative analyses to a limited extent. The course integrates case studies from clinical practice as well as case studies based on medical guidelines.