In the world of medicine, doctors often need to provide binary answers to patients, even if they do not have all the information necessary to make a decision. Northwestern professor and economist Charles Manski suggests medical professionals use partial identification to relay more accurate results. His report, published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, examines different areas where doctors might need to make assumptions and concludes that partial identification is effective when critical information is missing.
Based on the results of their study, the report claims,
“Partial identification methods are likely to be of considerable interest to clinicians and others engaged in preventive medicine and public health research.”
According to the report, this strategy may also be effective when dealing with possible COVID-19 cases, as it can help physicians make decisions on possible treatments based on preliminary clinical trials.
Read more about Manski’s findings in New IPR Research: February 2022.