Cognitive biases, such as the availability heuristic or availability bias, can inadvertently affect patient outcomes. These biases may be magnified during times of heightened awareness of a particular disease. Failure to identify cognitive biases when managing patients during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic can delay the institution of the right treatment option and result in poor health outcomes. We present a case of delayed diagnosis of Legionella pneumonia due to COVID-19-related availability bias. We discuss some methods to mitigate the effects of this bias and the importance of challenging trainees to recognize these pitfalls in medical training.
Keywords: availability bias; availability heuristic; cognitive biases; coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19); covid-19 pandemic; legionella pneumonia; legionellosis; sars-cov-2.
Copyright © 2022, Kyere et al.