Models of Problem-Solving

Clinical Decision and Diagnosis as Problem Solving
(MacWhinney 1973; Weinman 1987)

According to this model, the process of formulating a clinical decision involves the
following stages:

1. Accessing information about the patient's symptoms.
The initial questions in any consultation from a health professional to the patient will
enable the health professional to understand the nature of the problem and to form an
internal representation of the type of problem.

2. Developing hypotheses
Early on in the problem-solving process, the health professional develops hypotheses
about the possible causes and solutions to the problem.

3. Search for attributes
The health professional then proceeds to test the hypotheses by searching for factors
either to confirm or to refute their hypotheses

4. Making a management decision.
The outcome of the clinical decision-making process involves the health professional
deciding on how to move forward.

Weinman (1987) suggested that it is important to realise that the outcome of a
consultation and a diagnosis is not an absolute entity, but is itself a hypothesis and an
informed guess that will either be confirmed or refuted by future events.