Clinical reasoning is a vital skill that enables practitioners to effectively collect and analyze patient data, develop differential diagnoses, and create a management plan that works both for the patient and the health care team. This skill is a core concept in medical education and one of nine competencies students at Yale School of Medicine (YSM) must learn prior to graduation.
Across their four years of schooling, students engage in over 20 clinical reasoning training sessions. These sessions prepare students with the skills they need to become deliberate, reflective, and collaborative clinicians who can translate a patient’s symptoms into a patient-centered health care plan.
Thilan Wijesekera, MD, MHS, assistant professor of medicine and YSM director of clinical reasoning, has been looking for ways to help students practice patient scenarios and refine their skills in a supportive environment.
In pursuit of that goal, Wijesekera and Emily Jameyfield, MD, MHPE, assistant professor of emergency medicine and Yale physician associate program learning specialist, applied for and received a Clinical Reasoning Catalyst Grant from Sketchy.
The grant comprises two components: one year of access to Sketchy’s new virtual patient program, DDx; and funds to support activities and/or scholarly works related to the tool.
DDx is an AI-enabled clinical reasoning platform in which students engage with virtual patients and receive feedback on their clinical reasoning.
All current medical students as well as students in the Physician Associate and Physician Assistant Online programs will be granted access to the tool.
Wijesekera believes that DDx will be helpful in preparing students for patient interactions during their clinical clerkship rotations in the hospital.
“We are excited to find opportunities to implement virtual patient interactions, both synchronously and asynchronously, across our basic science courses. We will partner with students and faculty to identify best practices and study the effectiveness of Sketchy DDx in the curriculum.”
YSM is one of 13 U.S. medical schools awarded the grant through Sketchy’s Clinical Reasoning Catalyst program.