The Influence of Hindsight and Outcome Bias on Fetal Heart Rate Interpretation and Judgments of Obstetric Care Quality

The authors aimed to investigate whether obstetricians' evaluations of care quality for abnormal fetal heart rate patterns are influenced by knowledge of neonatal outcomes. The study found that when obstetricians were informed of an adverse outcome, they were more likely to categorize the fetal heart rate tracing more severely, perceive cesarean delivery as delayed, and judge the care as below the standard, highlighting the significant impact of hindsight and outcome bias on clinical assessments.