Risk, Uncertainty, and Health: Dr. Laurel Austin on Decisions in the Digital Age

Dr. Laurel Austin, Associate Professor of Management Science at the Ivey Business School, Western University, explores her groundbreaking research, “Risk, Uncertainty, and Health Decisions in the Digital Age,” which investigates how behavioural and decision science shed light on the choices individuals make in healthcare - particularly in times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Dual-process thinking plays a central role in how people navigate health decisions in an increasingly digital world. Dr. Laurel Austin explains how fast, intuitive “System 1” thinking, driven by emotion and gut reactions, often guides choices under stress, uncertainty, or crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. In contrast, slower, analytical “System 2” thinking can support more accurate risk assessment, but requires effort, attention, and numeracy that many patients find difficult to sustain. In this context, digital self-triage tools emerged as powerful yet imperfect innovations. They help reduce system overload, limit infection risk, and can sometimes match or surpass human experts when using the same information. However, they cannot perform physical exams, struggle with nuanced follow-up, depend on internet access, and often lack full integration with existing health systems. At the same time, trust in traditional providers and media has declined, while many people, especially youth turn to social media for “medical research,” where messages are easily distorted. Dr. Austin’s work underscores the need to design digital tools that complement, rather than replace, clinicians, and to improve risk communication so that people better understand screening results, probabilities, and the real trade-offs in preventive care. This podcast is brought to you by Global Management Consultancy. For more information, please visit www.globalmanagementconsultancy.com. Disclaimer: A. The background music used in this video is the property of its respective developer and is protected by Copyright. Although it is a free version, Business Talk, Global Management Consultancy and Deepak Bhatt do not hold the rights to this music. B. Dr. Laurel Austin shared thought-provoking insights from her research, “Risk, Uncertainty, and Health Decisions in the Digital Age,” during her engaging conversation on the Business Talk podcast. The uploaded video contains copyrighted material; therefore, any modifications to graphics, music, or the presence of the author or host are strictly prohibited.