Learning to diagnose collaboratively: validating a simulation for medical students.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Cognitive Science
• Health Professions Education

Background:

• Physicians from diverse backgrounds collaborate in patient diagnosis.
• Effective collaborative diagnostic reasoning (CDR) is crucial for patient care.
• Existing methods for assessing CDR skills require robust validation.

Purpose of the Study:

• Introduce a process model for collaborative diagnosing (CDR model).
• Develop and validate a simulation to assess collaborative diagnostic reasoning.
• Provide initial validity evidence for the simulation using a contemporary framework.

Main Methods:

• Developed a simulation for collaborative diagnostic reasoning.
• Conducted a quasi-experimental study comparing medical students and practitioners.
• Assessed diagnostic accuracy, efficiency, information sharing, and cognitive load.
• Collected authenticity ratings from practitioners.

Main Results:

• The simulation demonstrated objectivity and reliability, with initial evidence for scoring and extrapolation validity.
• Practitioners rated the simulation and collaborative process as authentic.
• Participants with different prior knowledge levels showed significant differences in diagnostic accuracy, efficiency, information sharing, and cognitive load.

Conclusions:

• The developed simulation is an authentic and valid tool for assessing collaborative diagnostic reasoning.
• The validation process provided sufficient initial evidence for the simulation's utility.
• Applying validation models to empirical research in this context is promising for future studies.