Storylines of family medicine VIII: clinical approaches.

Storylines of Family Medicine is a 12-part series of thematically linked mini-essays with accompanying illustrations that explore the many dimensions of family medicine as interpreted by individual family physicians and medical educators in the USA and elsewhere around the world. In 'VIII: clinical approaches', authors address the following themes: 'Evaluation, diagnosis and management I-toward a working diagnosis', 'Evaluation, diagnosis and management II-process steps', 'Interweaving integrative medicine and family medicine', 'Halfway-the art of clinical judgment', 'Seamless integration in family medicine-team-based care', 'Technology-uncovering stories from noise' and 'Caring for patients with multiple long-term conditions'. May readers recognise in these essays the uniqueness of a family medicine approach to care.

The Bobath Clinical Reasoning Framework: A systems science approach to the complexity of neurodevelopmental conditions, including cerebral palsy.

The current recommended developmental Bobath practice within the Bobath Clinical Reasoning Framework (BCRF) can be conceptualized using the lens of systems science, thereby providing a holistic perspective on the interrelatedness and interconnectedness of the variables associated with childhood-onset disability. The BCRF is defined as an in-depth clinical reasoning framework that can be applied to help understand the relationships between the domains of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, how those domains can be influenced, and how they impact each other. The BCRF is a transdisciplinary observational system and practical reasoning approach that results in an intervention plan. This provides a holistic understanding of the complexity of situations associated with disorders such as cerebral palsy (CP) and the basis for the lifelong management and habilitation of people living with neurological disorders. The clinical reasoning used by the BCRF draws on the important contextual factors of the individual and their social environment, primarily the family unit. It is rooted in an understanding of the interrelationships between typical and atypical development, pathophysiology (sensorimotor, cognitive, behavioural), and neuroscience, and the impact of these body structure and function constructs on activity and participation. The systems science model integral to the BCRF is a useful way forward in understanding and responding to the complexity of CP, the overarching goal being to optimize the lived experience of any individual in any context.

Transformative learning in clinical reasoning: a meta-synthesis in undergraduate primary care medical education.

Clinical reasoning is a vital medical education skill, yet its nuances in undergraduate primary care settings remain debated. This systematic review explores clinical reasoning teaching and learning intricacies within primary care. We redefine clinical reasoning as dynamically assimilating and prioritising synthesised patient, significant other, or healthcare professional information for diagnoses or non-diagnoses. This focused meta-synthesis applies transformative learning theory to primary care clinical reasoning education. A comprehensive analysis of 29 selected studies encompassing various designs made insights into clinical reasoning learning dimensions visible. Primary care placements in varying duration and settings foster diverse instructional methods like bedside teaching, clinical consultations, simulated clinics, virtual case libraries, and more. This review highlights the interplay between disease-oriented and patient-centred orientations in clinical reasoning learning. Transformative learning theory provides an innovative lens, revealing stages of initiation, persistence, time and space, and competence and confidence in students' clinical reasoning evolution. Clinical teachers guide this transformation, adopting roles as fortifiers, connoisseurs, mediators, and monitors. Patient engagement spans passive to active involvement, co-constructing clinical reasoning. The review underscores theoretical underpinnings' significance in shaping clinical reasoning pedagogy, advocating broader diversity. Intentional student guidance amid primary care complexities is vital. Utilising transformative learning, interventions bridging cognitive boundaries enhance meaningful clinical reasoning learning experiences. This study contributes insights for refining pedagogy, encouraging diverse research, and fostering holistic clinical reasoning development.

The iceberg of genomics: New perspectives in the use of genomics and epigenetics in oncology nursing clinical reasoning. A discursive paper.

BACKGROUND: Although, there is a wealth of information in the medical literature on the usefulness of genomic testing in assessing risk and its application in medical oncology decision making, there are no theoretical reflections in the nursing field. AIM: To understand the implications of molecular biology in nursing practice and highlight the role of Nursing Theory in guiding nurses' reasoning. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Searching literature published between 2000 and 2022 in Medline and Google Scholar. Scientific evidence was analysed by the authors expert in different fields. RESULTS: Based on the findings of the literature, concerns have been raised about the proper care of cancer patients who have a genomic risk profile determination. In particular, the absence of theoretical thinking and conceptual models that consider developments in molecular biology and their impact on nursing, in addition to the prevalence of heuristic thinking and the application of clinical patterns in nursing practice, could induce patient misjudgement with inadequate planning of preventive, curative, rehabilitative and educational nursing interventions. Nurses working in the field of oncology should be aware that the risk profile determined by genomics tests is merely the visible and stated portion of the cancer patient: the tip of iceberg. DISCUSSION: This study demonstrates how genomic testing takes into account a fraction of genes discovered in tumour tissue to establish a risk profile. This subset differs, for example, from the social genome, which can determine the risk of dementia, cancer and cardiovascular disease, but in response to social adversity. Nursing theory, which views the environment as a metaparadigm, must consider a conceptual model that can integrate the findings of genomic testing with recommendations from studies on the social genome of humans to make it easier to build nursing treatments that can better reduce these risks. CONCLUSION: A nursing theoretical discourse on genomics is a paramount requirement for developing effective nursing care.

Select Manual Assessment Techniques and Clinical Reasoning Skills Used in Canine Physical Rehabilitation Before Engaging in Manual Therapy Treatment.

Manual therapy is a cornerstone of physical therapy and canine physical rehabilitation. Although veterinary literature has tackled the topic of manual therapy treatments in animal patients, less attention has been paid to the assessment techniques and clinical reasoning skills that guide a practitioner toward determining if, when, and where manual therapies will be most effective. This article tackles the topics of clinical reasoning, the functional diagnosis, observational skills, and physical evaluation techniques that serve as prerequisites to the use of manual therapeutics.

Razonamiento clínico en carreras de la salud: percepción de estudiantes y docentes / The perception of teachers and students about clinical reasoning in health care careers

BACKGROUND: Clinical reasoning (CR) is a training mainstay in health care careers. AIM: To describe the perception of students and teachers about the development of clinical CR in Kinesiology and Dentistry careers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Exploratory descriptive qualitative study, with 12 informants (six teachers and six students), applying a script of questions through a semi-structured interview. A thematic inductive data analysis was carried out. RESULTS: Two hundred thirty-five meaning units, 38 codes, seven subcategories and three categories were collected. CR was reported as a basic analysis process in health care training. Its necessary elements are knowledge, a learning environment and a facilitator teacher, among others. Motivation, analysis models, variability and exposure are reported as facilitating factors for the development of CR. Teacher paternalism, resistance to change and few learning opportunities are presented as obstacles. Active strategies such as clinical cases, simulation and clinical practice are perceived as facilitators for the development of CR. Those situations where the student does not assume a leading role such as lectures and activities in large groups, are considered as obstacles. CONCLUSIONS: Both students and teachers point to CR as an analysis process that is indispensable in both careers. Exposure to variable educational experiences through active educational strategies in small groups encourages CR.

Mejorando la elaboración de las hipótesis iniciales para el razonamiento clínico diagnóstico en estudiantes de kinesiología: una propuesta metodológica / Improving the development of initial hypotheses for clinical diagnostic reasoning in physical therapy students: a methodological proposal

El Razonamiento Clínico es un proceso fundamental para identificar los déficits en un paciente y formular un diagnóstico kinesiológico. El objetivo de este estudio es describir parte de la metodología y sus resultados, en el marco del curso de Razonamiento Clínico de la carrera de Kinesiología en la Universidad Finis Terrae, para mejorar el proceso de formulación de hipótesis iniciales para la evaluación kinesiológica. MUESTRA : MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS Los estudiantes fueron evaluados según la cantidad, coherencia y sintaxis de estas hipótesis iniciales, además de los dominios a los que pertenecían, al inicio y al final de la intervención que consistió en 3 actividades (2 clases presenciales y un informe de actividad de campo clínico). Las clases presenciales tenían como temas la Clasificación Internacional de la Funcionalidad, Salud y Enfermedad (CIF) de la OMS, y su rol en el razonamiento clínico diagnóstico; y la importancia de las hipótesis iniciales dentro del modelo hipotético deductivo de razonamiento y cómo escribirlas, junto con el uso de una herramienta (una "Tabla Hipocrática Modificada") para sistematizar la formulación de hipótesis iniciales con respecto a déficit en estructuras corporales. El informe de campo clínico integró todo lo anterior durante la evaluación de un paciente real. RESULTADOS La evaluación final mostró un aumento significativo en la cantidad (promedio ± DS inicial 10,1 ± 8,57, final 27 ± 9,23, p < 0,001) de hipótesis planteadas y en su coherencia con respecto a la información disponible. CONCLUSIÓN La sistematización descrita para la formulación de hipótesis diagnósticas en los estudiantes de kinesiología resulta en una mayor cantidad y calidad en sus hipótesis, validando esta metodología para la enseñanza inicial del razonamiento clínico diagnóstico en kinesiología

Clinical Reasoning is a fundamental process to identify deficits in a patient and state a diagnosis. The goal of this study is to describe part of the methodology and its results, within the framework of the Clinical Reasoning course of the Kinesiology career at Finis Terrae University, implemented to improve the process of formulating initial hypotheses for kinesiological evaluation. MATERIALS AND METHODS The students were evaluated according to the quantity, coherence and syntax of these initial hypotheses, in addition to the domains to which they belonged, at the beginning and at the end of the intervention that consisted of 3 activities (2 face-to-face classes and an activity report). The face-to-face classes had as topics the International Classification of Functioning, Health and Disease (ICF), WHO, and its role in diagnostic clinical reasoning; and the importance of initial hypotheses within the hypothetical deductive model of reasoning and how to write them, together with the use of a tool (a "Modified Hippocratic Table") to methodize the formulation of initial hypotheses regarding deficits in body structures. The report integrated all of the above during the evaluation of a real patient. RESULTS The final evaluation showed a significant increase in the quantity (mean ± initial SD 10.1±8.57, final 27±9.23, p < 0.001) of hypotheses raised and in their consistency to the available information. Conclusion: The Systematization described for formulating diagnostic hypotheses in kinesiology students results in a greater quantity and quality of their hypotheses, validating this methodology for the initial teaching of diagnostic clinical reasoning in kinesiology.

Clinical reasoning as midwifery: A Socratic model for shared decision making in person-centred care.

Shared decision making has become the standard of care, yet there remains no consensus about how it should be conducted. Most accounts are concerned with threats to patient autonomy, and they address the dangers of a power imbalance by foregrounding the patient as a person whose complex preferences it is the practitioner's task to support. Other corrective models fear that this level of mutuality risks abdicating the practitioner's responsibilities as an expert, and they address that concern by recovering a nuanced but genuinely directive clinical role. Cribb and Entwistle helpfully categorize models of shared decision making as 'narrower' and 'broader' and praise the latter's 'open-ended and fully dialogical ways of relating'. However, they stop short of providing a philosophical account of how that dialogue works. In this paper, a nurse-midwife and a philosopher collaborate to argue that the Socratic model of dialogue offers a solution to the practitioner-patient dilemma. In the Theaetetus, Socrates compares dialogical reasoning to 'midwifery with all its standard features'. By means of a three-way analogy, elements of midwifery practice are used to illuminate features of Socrates' claim that his dialogue is like midwifery; those features are then translated into an approach to shared decision making as the 'midwifery of good thinking' which both midwives and physicians would do well to adopt. A key concept that emerges is the need for practitioners to make a risk-confidence assessment of the particular content of any decision to appropriately modulate their role in the practice of shared decision making.

[The perception of teachers and students about clinical reasoning in health care careers]. / Razonamiento clínico en carreras de la salud: percepción de estudiantes y docentes.

BACKGROUND: Clinical reasoning (CR) is a training mainstay in health care careers. AIM: To describe the perception of students and teachers about the development of clinical CR in Kinesiology and Dentistry careers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Exploratory descriptive qualitative study, with 12 informants (six teachers and six students), applying a script of questions through a semi-structured interview. A thematic inductive data analysis was carried out. RESULTS: Two hundred thirty-five meaning units, 38 codes, seven subcategories and three categories were collected. CR was reported as a basic analysis process in health care training. Its necessary elements are knowledge, a learning environment and a facilitator teacher, among others. Motivation, analysis models, variability and exposure are reported as facilitating factors for the development of CR. Teacher paternalism, resistance to change and few learning opportunities are presented as obstacles. Active strategies such as clinical cases, simulation and clinical practice are perceived as facilitators for the development of CR. Those situations where the student does not assume a leading role such as lectures and activities in large groups, are considered as obstacles. CONCLUSIONS: Both students and teachers point to CR as an analysis process that is indispensable in both careers. Exposure to variable educational experiences through active educational strategies in small groups encourages CR.

Why is it so difficult to implement a longitudinal clinical reasoning curriculum? A multicenter interview study on the barriers perceived by European health professions educators.

BACKGROUND: Effective clinical reasoning is a core competency of health professionals that is necessary to assure patients' safety. Unfortunately, adoption of longitudinal clinical reasoning curricula is still infrequent. This study explores the barriers that hinder the explicit teaching of clinical reasoning from a new international perspective. METHODS: The context of this study was a European project whose aim is to develop a longitudinal clinical reasoning curriculum. We collected data in semi-structured interviews with responders from several European countries who represent various health professions and have different backgrounds, roles and experience. We performed a qualitative content analysis of the gathered data and constructed a coding frame using a combined deductive/inductive approach. The identified themes were validated by parallel coding and in group discussions among project members. RESULTS: A total of 29 respondents from five European countries participated in the interviews; the majority of them represent medicine and nursing sciences. We grouped the identified barriers into eight general themes: Time, Culture, Motivation, Clinical Reasoning as a Concept, Teaching, Assessment, Infrastructure and Others. Subthemes included issues with discussing errors and providing feedback, awareness of clinical reasoning teaching methods, and tensions between the groups of professionals involved. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides an in-depth analysis of the barriers that hinder the teaching of explicit clinical reasoning. The opinions are presented from the perspective of several European higher education institutions. The identified barriers are complex and should be treated holistically due to the many interconnections between the identified barriers. Progress in implementation is hampered by the presence of reciprocal causal chains that aggravate this situation. Further research could investigate the perceptual differences between health professions regarding the barriers to clinical reasoning. The collected insights on the complexity and diversity of these barriers will help when rolling out a long-term agenda for overcoming the factors that inhibit the implementation of clinical reasoning curricula.

Propuesta de evaluación del razonamiento diagnóstico en los ejercicios de pase de año y de graduación en las especialidades clínicas / Proposal for the evaluation of diagnostic reasoning in the year and graduation assessments in clinical specialties

importancia del razonamiento diagnóstico, como competencia profesional, justifica que la discusión de la actividad evaluativa se incluya en la llamada Evaluación de Graduación de las residencias médicas. En este artículo se proponen algunos indicadores a utilizar por los profesores durante las actividades de discusión diagnóstica evaluativas; indicadores que emanan de la descomposición de la actividad en sus pasos o acciones. El empleo de estos indicadores y de algunas sugerencias realizadas puede contribuir a hacer más uniforme la evaluación y calificación de los ejercicios de discusión diagnóstica en el marco de la Evaluación de Graduación, o de los exámenes de promoción o pase de año(AU)

The importance of diagnostic reasoning, as professional competence, justifies the discussion of the evaluative activity in the so-called Graduation Assessment of medical residencies. This article proposes some indicators to be used by the professors during the diagnostic discussion evaluative activities. These indicators derive from the breakdown of the activity in steps or actions. The use of these indicators and some suggestions can contribute to making the evaluation and qualification of the diagnostic discussion exercises more uniform in the framework of the graduation assessment, or of the promotion or year exams(AU)

Clinical reasoning in nursing students: A concept analysis.

AIM: The aim of this analysis is to clarify the concept of clinical reasoning in nursing students. BACKGROUND: Sound clinical reasoning is the most important skill required in professional nursing and understanding of this concept is emphasized as a basis for clinical reasoning development in nursing education curricula. DESIGN: Rodgers' concept analysis method was used to achieve a clear and understandable definition. DATA SOURCE: Resources published from 2000 to 2020 were identified via electronic databases. REVIEW METHODS: A review of the literature was completed, and the data were analyzed to identify the Surrogate and related terms, attributes, antecedents and consequences of the concept. RESULTS: This concept is a holistic and recursive cognitive process that has a dynamic and flexible nature to perceive the patient's condition, select the best practice to respond to the situation, and learn from the situation. Clinical reasoning in nursing students emerges despite professional standards; discipline-specific knowledge, cognitive perception, critical thinking, learning experiences, and intuitive ability, and the requirements of the professional system affect its establishment in the nursing discipline. Clinical reasoning is the cognitive process underlying clinical judgment, appropriate decision making, improvement of nursing quality, metacognitive awareness, and professional competence in nursing, whose achievement, generally, paves the way for nursing professionalization and development that are important steps toward independence in the nursing profession. CONCLUSIONS: The present concept analysis clarifies the concept of clinical reasoning as a complex thinking process that should be considered as a fundamental thinking skill in nursing program.

Embracing complexity with systems thinking in general practitioners' clinical reasoning helps handling uncertainty.

Clinical reasoning in general practice is increasingly challenging because of the rise in the number of patients with multimorbidity. This creates uncertainty because of unpredictable interactions between the symptoms from multiple medical problems and the patient's personality, psychosocial context and life history. Case analysis may then be more appropriately managed by systems thinking than by hypothetic-deductive reasoning, the predominant paradigm in the current teaching of clinical reasoning. Application of "systems thinking" tools such as causal loop diagrams allows the patient's problems to be viewed holistically and facilitates understanding of the complex interactions. We will show how complexity levels can be graded in clinical reasoning and demonstrate where and how systems thinking can have added value by means of a case history.

An empirical, pragmatic approach applying reflection in interaction approach to manual therapy treatments.

Background: Most literature on decision processes within physiotherapy relates to "reasoning that results in action" - decisions based on information including assessments that are gathered prior to treatment decisions. A process of "reasoning in interaction" that is often used, particularly by expert clinicians, has received less attention. Objective:  To provide a theoretical and practical approach to applying reasoning in interaction in a musculoskeletal setting. Methods: The theory is: If an impairment that can be directly targeted by treatment (i.e. pain or limitation of passive movement) is related to patient's active impairments and functional limitations, then moment-to-moment changes in the targeted impairment can be used as feedback to guide real-time treatment modification before formal reassessment of functional limitations and other impairments. Results: Applying the theory to manual therapy results in parameters of techniques such as force, speed, direction and duration no longer being pre-determined, but rather being continually adjusted in real-time according to feedback from the patient through both therapist perception (changes in movement quantity or quality) and patient verbal responses. Conclusion: A process of continuous decision-making is described that the authors believe is used by many experienced clinicians but has not previously been adequately described in the literature. .

Raciocínio clínico: percepções e práticas de estudantes de medicina / Clinical reasoning: perceptions and practices of medical students

Resumo: Introdução: Em tempos de ameaças constantes ao financiamento destinado à manutenção do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), faz-se necessário debruçar o olhar sobre a prática médica, sobretudo no que tange ao alto custo que o emprego desnecessário de exames complementares ocasiona à saúde pública. Objetivo: Este estudo teve como objetivo analisar as percepções sobre o raciocínio clínico (RC) e as respectivas práticas entre estudantes de Medicina (EM) de uma universidade pública do Nordeste brasileiro. Métodos: Trata-se de pesquisa qualitativa realizada com 12 EM. A coleta de dados ocorreu por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas com gravação de áudio. A análise de dados foi realizada por meio da técnica de análise de conteúdo, modalidade análise temática. Resultados: A maioria dos EM compreendeu o RC como sinônimo de raciocínio diagnóstico, pois os discentes o praticavam como uma junção da utilização de dados da anamnese, do exame físico e de exames complementares, e realizavam raciocínio terapêutico como base em aspectos como diagnóstico do paciente, sintomatologia, comorbidades, alergia e adesão terapêutica. Além disso, os EM demonstraram conhecimento teórico-conceitual superficial sobre o tema. Conclusão: As percepções e práticas dos EM sobre o RC revelaram aspectos relevantes do contexto prático do internado na referida universidade, os quais podem subsidiar novas discussões e oportunizar a realização de outras pesquisas sobre o tema.

Abstract: Introduction: In times of constant correction of funding for the maintenance of the Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), it is necessary to focus on medical practice, especially with regard to the high cost that the unnecessary use of complementary tests causes to public health. Objective: To analyze perceptions and practices in clinical reasoning (CR) of medical students at a public university in northeastern Brazil. Methods: Qualitative research, conducted with 12 medical students (MS). Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with audio recording. Data analysis was performed using the method of thematic content analysis. Results: Most MS understood clinical reasoning as a synonym for diagnostic reasoning, and CR practice as a combination of anamnesis data, physical exam and complementary exams. They perform therapeutic reasoning based on aspects such as patient diagnosis, symptoms, comorbidities, allergies and therapeutic compliance; and demonstrated superficial theoretical-conceptual knowledge of the topic. Conclusion: The perceptions and practices of MS on CR revealed relevant aspects of the practical context of the internship at the university. The study, therefore, supports new discussions and opportunities for new research on the topic.

An orthopedic manual physical therapy fellowship training's impact on professional development, involvement, personal lives, and income - A survey study.

Introduction: Little research exists investigating the personal and professional outcomes of postprofessional physical therapy (PT) training. Therefore, the purpose of the current descriptive, web-based survey study was to determine self-reported outcomes from a postprofessional PT fellowship program, including graduate professional, educational, and research involvement; perceptions of the impact of training on clinical and professional attributes; changes in employment and income; and barriers to training. Methods: Graduates of a part-time, hybrid-model, multisite orthopedic manual PT fellowship program were invited to complete the web-based survey. Descriptive data analyses were performed for all quantitative data, and responses to questions were analyzed and categorized into themes. Results: Of the 77 fellowship graduates, 75 (97%) completed the survey. Graduates were involved in teaching; 43% (32/75) filled lead instructor roles in PT education programs. Further, 75% (57/75) were involved in research. The mean (SD) and median (range) increase in annual gross income was $9560 ($17,545) and $2,500 ($0-$125,000), respectively. Perceived areas with the largest impact of training included clinical reasoning, patient-centered and evidence-based practice, and professionalism. Life balance and family commitments were frequent barriers during training. Discussion: Graduates noted substantial perceived professional, clinical, and financial benefits to fellowship training. Limitations included lack of a control group and surveying participants from a single program. Future research should determine the influence that program and participant-related factors have on personal and professional lives of graduates and on clinical outcomes. Level of Evidence: Descriptive survey, level 3.