A required course in decision-making for preclinical medical students

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Cognitive Science
• Clinical Decision-Making

Background:

• Effective teaching of clinical decision-making skills is crucial for medical students.
• Preclinical education requires innovative approaches to impart complex cognitive skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the objectives, instructional methods, and evaluation of a preclinical decision-making course.
• To assess the efficacy of teaching clinical algorithms and decision analysis.
• To evaluate the utility of the Taped Interview Problem (TIP) as an assessment tool.

Main Methods:

• Instruction involved learning to read/write clinical algorithms and engaging in problem-solving/discussion for decision analysis.
• Three distinct evaluation methods were employed across three classes.
• Student learning was assessed through Taped Interview Problem (TIP) scores and a comprehensive final examination.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in Taped Interview Problem (TIP) scores were observed post-instruction.
• Students achieved high mean scores on the final examination, indicating mastery of course objectives.
• High voluntary class attendance suggests student engagement and perceived value of the course.

Conclusions:

• Preclinical medical students can be successfully taught cognitive decision-making skills.
• The Taped Interview Problem (TIP) is a valuable and promising tool for assessing these skills.
• Monitoring clinical decision-making courses offers insights into learning and teaching technical clinical management.