Clinical judgment and sometimes ethical judgment enter into these decisions where there are often no right or wrong answers and where there are no textbooks or RCTs that tell us what to do.
predecessor - something that precedes and indicates the approach of something or someone. harbinger, herald, forerunner, precursor. indicant, indication - something that serves to indicate or suggest; an indication of foul play; indications of strain; symptoms are the prime indicants of disease.
successor - a thing or person that immediately replaces something or someone. substitute, replacement - a person or thing that takes or can take the place of another. 3. successor - a person who inherits some title or office. heir. offspring, progeny, issue - the immediate descendants of a person; she was the mother of many offspring; he died without issue successor. noun heir, beneficiary, inheritor, next-in-line, descendant He set out several principles that he hopes will guide his successors. Translations