Decision Tree: Introduction

A decision tree is a powerful method for classification and prediction and for facilitating decision making in sequential decision problems. This entry considers three types of decision trees in some detail. The first is an algorithm for a recommended course of action based on a sequence of information nodes; the second is classification and regression trees; and the third is survival trees.

Decision Trees

Often the medical decision maker will be faced with a sequential decision problem involving decisions that lead to different outcomes depending on chance. If the decision process involves many sequential decisions, then the decision problem becomes difficult to visualize and to implement. Decision trees are indispensable graphical tools in such settings. They allow for intuitive understanding of the problem and can aid in ...

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