Description: (Same as Information Studies M255.) Lecture, four hours; outside study, eight hours. Designed for graduate students. Overview of issues related to medical decision making. Introduction to concept of evidence-based medicine and decision processes related to process of care and outcomes. Basic probability and statistics to understand research results and evaluations, and algorithmic methods for decision-making processes (Bayes theorem, decision trees). Study design, hypothesis testing, and estimation. Focus on technical advances in medical decision support systems and expert systems, with review of classic and current research. Introduction to common statistical and decision-making software packages to familiarize students with current tools. Letter grading.

Units: 4.0