ABSTRACT
Prioritisation involves individuals making judgements and decisions. The aims of the study of professional judgement and decision making are to understand how professionals make judgements and decisions and how they could, or perhaps should, make better decisions. The emphasis is often not so much on the outcomes of a decision but on the processes of judgement and decision making. Such an interest, although only relatively recently identified as a distinct subject area of interdisciplinary study (the Society for Judgement and Decision Making was founded in 1986), has long fascinated philosophers, psychologists, management and political scientists as well as lawyers, policy makers and health professionals. This chapter first outlines different approaches to studying professional judgement and decision making and then reviews the case studies in the light of the approaches introduced.
