Marie-Claude Audétat

Clinical reasoning processes: unravelling complexity through graphical representation

Medical Education 2012: 46: 454–463

Clinical reasoning difficulties: A taxonomy for clinical teachers

Background: Clinical reasoning is the cornerstone of medical practice. To date, there is no established framework regarding clinical reasoning difficulties, how to identify them, and how to remediate them. Aim: To identify the most common clinical reasoning difficulties as they present in residents’ patient encounters, case summaries, or medical notes. To develop a guide to support medical educators’ process of educational diagnosis and management in this area. Methods: We used a participatory action research method. We carried out eight iterative reflective cycles with a group of clinical teachers. The repeated phases of experimentation and observation were conducted by participants in their own clinical teaching setting. Our findings were tested and validated on both an individual and collective basis Results: We found five categories of clinical reasoning difficulties as they present in the clinical teaching settings. We identified indicators for each. Indicators may be different depending on the type of supervision. These findings were assembled and organized to construct a guide for clinical teachers. Conclusions: The guide should assist clinical teachers in detecting clinical reasoning difficulties during clinical teaching and in providing remediation that is tailored to the specific difficulty identified. Its development furthers our understanding of clinical reasoning difficulties and provides a useful tool.

What is so difficult about managing clinical reasoning difficulties

Medical Education 2012: 46 : 216–227

Remediation for struggling learners: putting an end to ‘more of the same’

Comment on The following popper user interface control may not be accessible. Tab to the next button to revert the control to an accessible version. Destroy user interface controlWorkplace-based assessments in Foundation Programme training: do trainees in difficulty use them differently? [Med Educ. 2013] The following popper user interface control may not be accessible. Tab to the next button to revert the control to an accessible version. Destroy user interface controlThe remediation challenge: theoretical and methodological insights from a systematic review. [Med Educ. 2013]

Is there a way for clinical teachers to assist struggling learners? A synthetic review of the literature

Struggling medical trainees pose a challenge to clinical teachers, since these learners warrant closer supervision that is time-consuming and competes with time spent on patient care. Clinical teachers’ perception that they are ill equipped to address learners’ difficulties efficiently may lead to delays or even lack of remediation for these learners. Because of the paucity of evidence to guide best practices in remediation, the best approach to guide clinical teachers in the field remains to be established. We aimed to present a synthetic review of the empirical evidence and theory that may guide clinical teachers in their daily task of supervising struggling learners, reviewing current knowledge on the challenges and solutions that have been identified and explored. A computerized literature search was performed using Medline, Embase, Education Resources Information Center, and Education Source, after which final articles were selected based on relevance. The literature reviewed provided best evidence for clinical teachers to address learners’ difficulties, which is presented in the order of the four steps inherent to the clinical approach: 1) detecting a problem based on a subjective impression, 2) gathering and documenting objective data, 3) assessing data to make a diagnosis, and 4) planning remediation. A synthesized classification of pedagogical diagnoses is also presented. This review provides an outline of practical recommendations regarding the supervision and management of struggling learners up to the remediation phase. Our findings suggest that future research and faculty development endeavors should aim to operationalize remediation strategies further in response to specific diagnoses, and to make these processes more accessible to clinical teachers in the field.

Aborder le raisonnement clinique du point de vue pédagogique - III. Les difficultés de raisonnement clinique à l'étape du traitement et du raffinement des hypothèses : la fermeture prématurée

Messages clés • Le raisonnement clinique ne s’arrête pas avec la formulation du diagnostic. Il doit se poursuivre à l’étape de l’élaboration du plan d’intervention pour permettre au médecin de faire les meilleurs choix d’investigations, de recommandations, de traitements et de suivi. • Au cours de la supervision, grâce à une démarche de diagnostic pédagogique semblable à celle appliquée en clinique, le clinicien enseignant peut identifier de telles difficultés de raisonnement clinique et tenter de les corriger.

Exploring a New Simulation Approach to Improve Clinical Reasoning Teaching and Assessment: Randomized Trial Protocol

Background Helping trainees develop appropriate clinical reasoning abilities is a challenging goal in an environment where clinical situations are marked by high levels of complexity and unpredictability. The benefit of simulation-based education to assess clinical reasoning skills has rarely been reported. More specifically, it is unclear if clinical reasoning is better acquired if the instructors input occurs entirely after or is integrated during the scenario. Based on educational principles of the dual-process theory of clinical reasoning, a new simulation approach called simulation with iterative discussions (SID) is introduced. The instructor interrupts the flow of the scenario at three key moments of the reasoning process (data gathering, integration, and confirmation). After each stop, the scenario is continued where it was interrupted. Finally, a brief general debriefing ends the session. System-1 process of clinical reasoning is assessed by verbalization during management of the case, and System-2 during the iterative discussions without providing feedback. Objective The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of Simulation with Iterative Discussions versus the classical approach of simulation in developing reasoning skills of General Pediatrics and Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine residents. Methods This will be a prospective exploratory, randomized study conducted at Sainte-Justine hospital in Montreal, Qc, between January and March 2016. All post-graduate year (PGY) 1 to 6 residents will be invited to complete one SID or classical simulation 30 minutes audio video-recorded complex high-fidelity simulations covering a similar neonatology topic. Pre- and post-simulation questionnaires will be completed and a semistructured interview will be conducted after each simulation. Data analyses will use SPSS and NVivo softwares. Results This study is in its preliminary stages and the results are expected to be made available by April, 2016. Conclusions This will be the first study to explore a new simulation approach designed to enhance clinical reasoning. By assessing more closely reasoning processes throughout a simulation session, we believe that Simulation with Iterative Discussions will be an interesting and more effective approach for students. The findings of the study will benefit medical educators, education programs, and medical students.

Diagnosis and management of clinical reasoning difficulties: Part I. Clinical reasoning supervision and educational diagnosis

Abstract There are many obstacles to the timely identification of clinical reasoning difficulties in health professions education. This guide aims to provide readers with a framework for supervising clinical reasoning and identifying the potential difficulties as they may occur at each step of the reasoning process.

An Expanded Conceptual Framework of Medical Students' Primary Care Career Choice

In many countries, the number of graduating medical students pursuing a primary care career does not meet demand. These countries face primary care physician shortages. Students’ career choices have been widely studied, yet many aspects of this process remain unclear. Conceptual models are useful to plan research and educational interventions in such complex systems. The authors developed a framework of primary care career choice in undergraduate medical education, which expands on previously published models. They used a group-based, iterative approach to find the best way to represent the vast array of influences identified in previous studies, including in a recent systematic review of the literature on interventions to increase the proportion of students choosing a primary care career. In their framework, students enter medical school with their personal characteristics and initial interest in primary care. They complete a process of career decision making, which is subject to multiple interacting influences, both within and outside medical school, throughout their medical education. These influences are stratified into four systems—microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem—which represent different levels of interaction with students’ career choices. This expanded framework provides an updated model to help understand the multiple factors that influence medical students’ career choices. It offers a guide for the development of new interventions to increase the proportion of students choosing primary care careers and for further research to better understand the variety of processes involved in this decision.

Medical students’ professional identity development from being actors in an objective structured teaching exercise

Abstract Introduction: Medical students develop professional identity through structured activities and impromptu interactions in various settings. We explored if contributing to an Objective Structured Teaching Exercise (OSTE) influenced students’ professional identity development. Methods: University clinical faculty members participated in a faculty development program on clinical supervision. Medical students who participated in OSTEs as simulated residents were interviewed in focus groups about what they learnt from the experience and how the experience influenced their vision of learning and teaching. Transcripts were analyzed using the Goldie’s personality and social structure perspective model. Results: Twenty-five medical students out of 32 students involved in OSTEs participated. On an institutional level, students developed a feeling of belonging to the institution. At an interactional level, students realized they could influence the teaching interaction by actively seeking or giving feedback. On the personal level, students realized that errors could become sources of learning and felt better prepared to receive faculty feedback. Conclusion: Taking part in OSTEs as a simulated resident has a positive impact on students’ vision regarding the institution as a learning environment and their own role by actively seeking or giving feedback. OSTEs support their professional identity development regarding learning and teaching while sustaining faculty development.