MENTAL MODEL · M5567

Hippocratic Oath

BusinessHigh supportManagement

Included

Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

"First, do no harm." The physician's primary duty is not to cure (which is sometimes impossible), but to ensure that their intervention does not make the patient's condition worse.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

The bottom line for intervention. In consulting, management, or policy-making, when you are uncertain whether a plan will be effective, adhere to the Hippocratic Oath: doing nothing (though without merit) is often better than making a mess. Respect the complexity of the system and avoid iatrogenic injury (Iatrogenics).

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

The principle works because it counts inaction as a decision rather than as an absence of one. When evidence of benefit is weak and the intervention carries known risks, waiting and observing removes the harm the intervention would have caused, and the body's or the system's own self-correction usually outperforms outside meddling. Note that 'first, do no harm' is not the oath's original wording but a later Latin summary of its ethics.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Practice this model in one real situation:

Before proposing a fix, write down the worst plausible outcome of intervening. 2. List 'do nothing' as an explicit option and score it like any other. 3. If evidence of benefit is weak but the risks are clear, choose observation and set a review date. 4. Record what changes after the intervention so natural recovery is not credited to treatment. 5. Re-audit existing measures and withdraw those that are both ineffective and harmful.

Check to track your progress (stored locally)

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Source support: Explicit

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en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocratic_OathZH · Explicit
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