Taking clinical reasoning to the online environment

Abstract

Background and purpose:

Clinical reasoning is the thinking used in the management of a patient’[1] To develop this complex skill, student Allied Health Professionals (AHP’s) must be given the opportunity to ‘think like a professional’. Whilst clinical placement ‘draws on the context of clinical practice’ [2] it is often a stressful experience in which the student is continually being assessed. Role-play and case study scenarios do not account for the difficulties students typically experience when tasked with collecting the most relevant information from a patient.

Methods:

The ADDIE model of instructional design was used to transfer a typical role-play activity to the online environment [3]. Sixty-two undergraduate physiotherapy students were asked to view a video online, either in small groups or individually, and post their answers to questions posed throughout to an associated discussion board. The tutor then posted feedback to each submission. To establish the ‘value’ students placed on the activity, it was not made compulsory coursework for the module.

Results:

Seventy six percent of the student cohort voluntarily completed the activity. All respondents felt that it was relevant for developing physiotherapy students’ assessment and clinical reasoning skills, with 83% wanting more video-based activities to be included in the module.

Discussion and Conclusions:

The findings from this study suggest that the respondents largely felt they benefitted from this online activity, that it was ‘time well spent’ [4], and relevant to clinical practice. A step-by-step framework has been developed for transferring the teaching of clinical reasoning to the online environment.