Understanding clinical reasoning : A phenomenographic study with entry-level physiotherapy students

• INTRODUCTION: Entry-level students' conceptualizations of clinical reasoning can provide a starting point for program planning related to clinical reasoning development with a focus on patient-centered care.OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to explore how physiotherapy students understand clinical reasoning midway through their education. Nine physiotherapy students were interviewed at the end of their third semester.METHODS: Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted, recorded and transcribed verbatim. A phenomenographic approach to qualitative data analysis, seeking to explore variations in students' conceptions was applied.RESULTS: The students' ways of understanding clinical reasoning could be described as: 1) the cognitive process of the physiotherapist; and 2) the relational process of the collaborative partnership between the physiotherapist and the patient. A contrastive analysis shows how the cognitive and relational perspectives are developed through the relationships among three dimensions of clinical reasoning: 1) problem-solving; 2) context of working; and 3) own learning.CONCLUSION: By identifying the critical variation in students' conceptions of clinical reasoning, focus can be placed on pedagogical arrangements to facilitate students' progression toward a person-centered approach.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap -- Lärande (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Educational Sciences -- Learning (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Clinical reasoning

education

learning

phenomenography

students

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)