Exploring clinical reasoning development perspectives among final year medical students

Abstract

Introduction

Clinical reasoning is essential for effective clinical practice. Clinical reasoning helps medical students for clinical decision-making. However, development of clinical reasoning is challenging. The purpose of this study was to explore clinical reasoning perspectives among final year medical students.

Methods

Exploratory descriptive qualitative research design was employed. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board and Ethics Committee. Data were collected through focused group discussion from 2 medical colleges in English language. A semi-structured guide was used for data collection. Manual content analysis was applied for data analysis. The data were summarized in categories, subcategories that were presented with their pertinent direct quotes.

Results

Six categories namely mentoring support and guidance, learning challenges, teaching and learning methods, assessment and feedback, systematic thinking, and being a life-long learning were developed. The categories represented appreciating and devaluating expressions of medical students for the development of clinical reasoning. Medical students expressed the need for mentoring, bridging theory-practice gap, clinical resources, thinking systematically and role of life-long learning. Whereas, curriculum overload, decontextualized curriculum, practice inconsistencies, and cultural issues hinder development of clinical reasoning. Challenges can be alleviated with effective clinical strategies, role modeling, being and becoming life-long learner and evidence-based medical practices.

Conclusion

Medical students were aware about the significance of clinical reasoning. However, development of clinical reasoning was hinder by number of learning challenges. Alleviation of learning challenges is imperative for the development of clinical reasoning.