Study of the Impact of Virtual Patient Designs on the Reasoning Pattern and Therapeutic Decision Making

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Computer-Assisted; Decision Making

• Registration Number: NCT00474474
• Lead Sponsor: Karolinska Institutet

Brief Summary

There is a lack of evidence of the impact of the information provided in the introduction screen on the students diagnostic and therapeutic decisions. The reasoning pattern may also be altered if positive findings are provided to the student without an active request for it.

The results will be of importance when virtual patients are used for assessing students.

Detailed Description

The problem-solving approach is found in virtual patient designs concerned with teaching clinical reasoning and diagnosis. Generally the student has to collect a range of information, usually from menus of possible history questions, physical examination, and lab tests, and make diagnostic and therapeutic decisions based on their findings. The information is not cued - the student have to decide what is relevant. An introduction screen is shown to the student when the virtual patient is initiated. Case author have used it differently - some entered a complete chief complaint and part of anamnesis findings while other have not disclosed anything about the patient. There is a lack of evidence of the impact of the information provided in the introduction screen on the students diagnostic and therapeutic decisions. The reasoning pattern may also be altered if positive findings are provided to the student without an active request for it.

The results will be of importance when virtual patients are used for assessing students.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2007-02
• Study Completion: 2007-03
• Status Verified: 2007-05
• Study First Submitted: 2007-05-16
• Study First Submitted QC: 2007-05-16
• Last Update Submitted: 2007-05-16
• Study First Posted: 2007-05-17
• Last Update Posted: 2007-05-17

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 58

Inclusion Criteria

• All the students enrolled in the comprehensive dentistry course at the time of the study (2007)

Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: SINGLE_GROUP

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
therapeutic decision making	1 hour

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Medical history reasoning (required/unnecessary)	1 hour
Time allocation to the different phases in solving a VP	1 hour

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

School of dentistry, Karolinska Institutet; 🇸🇪 Stockholm, Sweden