La Clinical simulation as a strategy for the critical thinking development in medical students

Abstract

Introduction: The importance of clinical simulation is increasing on medical education. Medical schools are considering diverse methods to train students’ trough clinical simulation as part of their improvement process. This strategy may develop critical thinking on three phases: diagnosis, intervention and reflection. Is important to inquire if clinical simulation contribute on students to think, to reason, to deliberate and make judgments as established by its objectives and purposes for learning.

Objective: The main objective of this study was to assess the development of critical thinking from clinical simulation in each of its stages (diagnosis, intervention and reflection) on medical students from a private medical school.
Method: Descriptive qualitative. It was designed and applied a rubric on 4 teams of 5 students to assess the critical thinking on the following clinical simulation phases: diagnosis, intervention and reflection, using high-fidelity simulation. Through observation there were considered three levels: low, medium and high to assess the competence for each team.

Results: Considering the highest level of critical thinking, results showed that 2 of 4 teams were capable to diagnose and balance benefits and risks for tests and treatments. One from four teams were able to recognize treatment options from relevant information and three from four were capable to describe objectively and subjectively the experience of simulation. Reflection phase was the highest scored con critical thinking competence.

Conclusions: Simulated activities contribute on students the opportunity to analyze, reflect and assess professional situations on a fictitious clinical environment, considering interactive learning with immediate feed-back, imitating their future professional task.