In making clinical decisions, the human mind works in one of two modes, intuitive or analytical We prefer to use the faster, intuitive mode that is often effective, but prone to causing unconscious mistakes or cognitive biases When in this mode, we take shortcuts and often quickly “pattern match” to past experience The analytic mode requires more time and resources, and is thus less preferred, but is more reliable and less prone to error In order to reduce diagnostic or decision-making error, we must try and train ourselves to slow down and verify our intuitive thoughts by adding some analytical ones This is particularly important in high-risk situations Our ability to make decisions or diagnoses is influenced by both environmental and individual factors If the ED is particularly chaotic or understaffed or if we are tired, stressed, or cognitively overloaded, we are more likely to make errors Our gender, past experiences, personality, and background may also impact our decision making Some common types of cognitive biases are listed in Table 1.5