Knee Jerk Reactions (Cognitive Forcing Strategies)
Definition
Recognising automatic reflex responses to common clinical problems and deliberately pausing to consider whether they are appropriate.
How to Apply
Knee jerk reactions are abit like type 1 thinking – decisions or actions made without much conscious thought – this can be useful in some cases but dangerous in others.
Examples of knee jerk reactions:
- Hypotension – immediate IV fluids
- Raised CRP – immediate antibiotics
- Pain – immediate IV morphine
Not all hypotension is fluid depletion, not all CRP are infection and not all pain requires IV morphine! Stop and think before you act!
The Acute Mind 