Data: Integrating Domains of Clinical Reasoning into Medical Students' First Weeks of Education Improves Understanding of Complex Neuroanatomy

A quarter of all medical errors are due to faulty clinical reasoning. Such reasoning involves analytical (deductive) and non-analytical (recall) processes. The non-analytical is taught extensively in medical school, and it dominates medical students' time as they review question banks and lecture notes, watch videos online, and memorize flashcards, algorithms, and illness scripts. However, the step-by-step deductive process of analytical reasoning is taught much less often. When it is, the diverse levels of innate reasoning ability among students often lead to significant learning disparity. To address this deficiency, a pilot module on cranial nerve anatomy was developed to enhance analytical reasoning skills. It was hypothesized that this module would not only introduce an essential medical skill but also improve overall student understanding of the subject and reduce learning disparities among students. A comparative study was conducted between this novel module and a control didactic module, employing pre- and post-testing measures. Results indicated a 26% improvement in average scores following the analytical module, whereas the control module showed no significant improvement. In addition, there was less disparity following the analytical module with 75% of students achieving improved results, compared to 41% following the control. Analytical reasoning was successfully introduced early in first-year medical students' education, facilitating the learning of complex neuroanatomy and reducing learning disparity between students. Future research should evaluate the long-term retention of these benefits, their impact on analytical reasoning skills during the clerkship years, and their effects on performance in level two and three licensing examinations.