Framework for a decision support to aid in the allocation of resources in the event of an ambiguous failure

The decision tool that was developed via a framework of philosophy of causation, cognitive engineering, cognitive psychology and human factors, shows promise in being able to reduce the complexity of systems in general. While the findings are not as high as they hoped, the authors learned many lessons about how the tool should be presented and where changes should be made. From the pilot study based that is based on a case study, the next move will be towards the field of medical error. The field of medicine is struggling with how to lower its error rates. The error rates and complexity of the field are system properties. Without changing how the system functions, little can be done to reduce the overall error rates of hospitals and the profession in general. It is hoped that through the use of a tool similar to the one presented here, each actor will be able to see how they fit into the larger system. Through a reduction of system representational complexity and through a reduction in the complexity of individual tasks, such as surgery or medication distribution, real progress towards lowering error rates can occur.