Differences in clinical reasoning between female and male medical students

Hege, Inga; Hiedl, Meike; Huth, Karin Christine und Kiesewetter, Jan (2022): Differences in clinical reasoning between female and male medical students. In: Diagnosis, Bd. 10, Nr. 2: S. 100-104

Abstract

Background: In undergraduate medical education virtual patients (VPs) are a suitable method to teach clinical reasoning and support the visualization of this thinking process in a safe environment. The aim of our study was to investigate differences in the clinical reasoning process and diagnostic accuracy of female and male medical students. Methods: During the summer term 2020, we provided access to 15 VPs for undergraduate students enrolled in a medical school in Bavaria, Germany. All interactions of the 179 learners within the VP system CASUS were recorded, exported, and analyzed. Results: We found significant differences in the clinical reasoning of female and male learners. Female students documented more findings, differential diagnoses, tests, and treatment options and more often created a summary statement about the VP. Their overall performance was higher than those of their male peers, but we did not see any significant differences in diagnostic accuracy. Conclusions: The significant differences between male and female medical students should be considered when planning teaching and research activities. A future study should investigate whether these differences can also be found in physicians.

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Fakultät: Medizin
• Themengebiete: 600 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften > 610 Medizin und Gesundheit
• ISSN: 2194-8011
• Sprache: Englisch