Incorporating emotions into clinical decision-making solutions

Abstract

Health and emotions are inexorably connected. Yet there is still little emphasis on emotions in many clinical decision-making tools and interventions. Instead, existing solutions have tended to target cognition – how people comprehend and act on information about health and disease. While clear thinking contributes to better choices, a potential consequence of heavily targeting cognition is an under-emphasis on emotions - a tendency to work on improving how people think about health care choices without addressing how they feel about them. Several solutions can help clinicians and behavioral scientists address these dynamics: critically evaluating current decision-making conceptual frameworks and strategies, searching for areas where emotions may play a role and where they may have been overlooked; and filling any identified gaps by drawing on insights from affective science. Clinical decision-making solutions should address how individuals feel, not just how they think.