Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Center for Educational Research in Medical Sciences

2 Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center (EMRC), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran,

3 Department of Oncology, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan

4 Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran

5 Medical Education Development Center, University of Utrecht Medical Center, Utrecht, Netherlands

6 Medical Education Development Center

7 Medical Education Research Center

8 Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract

Background: Although some tests for clinical reasoning assessment are now available, the
theories of medical expertise have not played a major role in this filed. In this paper, illness
script theory was chose as a theoretical framework and contemporary clinical reasoning tests
were put together based on this theoretical model. Materials and Methods: This paper is a
qualitative study performed with an action research approach. This style of research is performed in a context where authorities focus on promoting their organizations’ performance
and is carried out in the form of teamwork called participatory research. Results: Results are
presented in four parts as basic concepts, clinical reasoning assessment, test framework,
and scoring. Conclusion: we concluded that no single test could thoroughly assess clinical
reasoning competency, and therefore a battery of clinical reasoning tests is needed. This battery should cover all three parts of clinical reasoning process: script activation, selection and
verification. In addition, not only both analytical and non-analytical reasoning, but also both
diagnostic and management reasoning should evenly take into consideration in this battery.
This paper explains the process of designing and implementing the battery of clinical reasoning in the Olympiad for medical sciences students through an action research.

Keywords

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