The problem of induction in clinical decision making.

Abstract

This article is a discussion of the consequences of "the problem of induction" as manifested in clinical decision making. All data, statistics, and probabilities are concerned with groups, generalizing from samples to other populations. It is not self-evident what such processes mean at the level of the individual patient. Some discussion of this problem is followed by a formulation of subjective probability that may contribute to the application and acceptance of clinical decision analysis.