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Deductive and Inductive Reasoning

In health care organizations, decision making often employs both deductive and inductive reasoning, depending on the subject matter decision that is meant to be made. This is especially so when it comes to the management of human resource. When making a determination regarding the cause of sudden increase in emergency room patients, for instance, both critical reasoning modalities ought to be applied.

In the aforementioned situation, inductive reasoning can be applied by reference to empirical studies regarding the typical causes of the increase in ER visits. For instance, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ER visits in medical institutions have significantly increased since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) (Gore, 2017). It is further indicated that many who are not able to afford (adequate) insurance coverage and outpatient care often end up seeking intervention when they are critically ill (Gore, 2017). Due to the lack of outpatient care, preventative measures are not taken to buttress the need for an ER visit. From an inductive reasoning perspective, it is then apparent that patients who are unable to afford outpatient care will most likely end up in the ER.

On the other hand, deductive reasoning can be applied by first and foremost ascertaining the actual causes of the ER visits within a one-month period for instance. If it is apparent that the increase in ER visits was because of a terror attack that occurred near the hospital, then it is absolutely true that the visit would not have skyrocketed had the attack not have taken place.

In a health care organization, it is highly unlikely that only one mode of reasoning will be applied in a decision-making process. When making a determination regarding the cause of the sudden increase in ER visits, both deductive and inductive reasoning should be employed.