‘Anchoring bias’ can delay testing and diagnosis by physicians for deadly conditions like blood clots in the lung

Finding evidence of what is known as “anchoring bias,” UCLA-led research suggests that patients with congestive heart failure experiencing shortness of breath are less likely to be tested in the emergency department for a potentially fatal pulmonary embolism, or a blood clot in the lung, when the reason for the visit noted during the initial emergency department check-in process specifically mentions congestive heart failure instead of the broader “shortness of breath.”