Statistical Aids in Clinical Decision-Making

Bayesian decision theory is recommended as a structure from which to derive clinical decision aids. There are, however, considerable problems found in implementation; these are reviewed before briefly considering alternative non-statistical decision aids. Simple additive scoring systems are emphasized, and illustrated with clinical examples. Further examples display the assessment of critical thresholds by means of acceptable error rates. Finally we stress the important role of the statistician in the future development of clinical decision aids.