Applying Metacognition Through Patient Encounters and Illness Scripts to Create a Conceptual Framework for Basic...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Cognitive Science
• Curriculum Development

Background:

• Medical school curricula seek to improve basic science integration with clinical application.
• A metacognitive approach is proposed to bridge basic science with humanistic and health system aspects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a metacognitive learning strategy integrating basic science with patient encounters and illness script writing.
• To assess the impact of this approach on medical students' knowledge retention and application.

Main Methods:

• First-year medical students participated in problem-based learning and lectures on disease pathophysiology.
• Students wrote illness scripts after patient encounters, reflecting on basic science, humanistic, and health system issues.
• Performance was evaluated using course exams, national board exams, and analysis of written reflections.

Main Results:

• Students scored significantly higher on illness script content compared to lecture content on course and national board exams.
• Analysis of student reflections revealed themes of basic science relevance, empathy, doctor-patient relationships, and healthcare system challenges.
• The metacognitive approach fostered better integration and retrieval of medical knowledge.

Conclusions:

• A metacognitive strategy using patient encounters and illness scripts enhances conceptual understanding in medical students.
• This approach strengthens the integration, storage, retention, and retrieval of basic science knowledge.
• It effectively connects scientific principles with the humanistic and systemic aspects of healthcare.