Can adaptive expertise, reflective practice, and activity theory help achieve systems-based practice and collective...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Developmental Pediatrics
• Systems-Based Practice

Background:

• Physicians function within complex social systems, requiring skills in systems-based practice, advocacy, and collaboration.
• Medical education traditionally emphasizes healthcare systems over broader social systems, posing challenges for developing these competencies.
• Early identification of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) presents a socially complex clinical scenario.

Purpose of the Study:

• To illustrate the necessity of systems-based practice in complex clinical zones using early ASD identification.
• To explore how collective competence and activity theory can frame the complexities of ASD identification.
• To align these framings with educational theories of adaptive expertise and reflective practice.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a clinical example of early autism spectrum disorder (ASD) identification.
• Applied collective competence and activity theory to analyze the practice context.
• Integrated adaptive expertise and reflective practice frameworks for educational approaches.

Main Results:

• Early ASD identification highlights the intricate social systems physicians navigate.
• Collective competence and activity theory provide models for understanding complex interdisciplinary practices.
• Adaptive expertise and reflective practice offer educational strategies for developing social competencies.

Conclusions:

• Educational approaches focusing on adaptive expertise and reflective practice can better prepare physicians for complex social systems.
• Enhanced awareness and responsiveness to dynamic system needs are crucial for physicians.
• This framework supports the development of physicians as integral members of social systems supporting patient health.