Medical knowledge and teamwork predict the quality of case summary statements as an indicator of clinical reasoning in undergraduate medical students

Background: Clinical reasoning refers to a thinking process including medical problem solving and medical decision making skills. Several studies have shown that the clinical reasoning process can be influenced by a number of factors, e.g. context or personality traits, and the results of this thinking process are expressed in case presentation. The aim of this study was to identify factors, which predict the quality of case summary statements as an indicator of clinical reasoning of undergraduate medical students in an assessment simulating the first day of residency. Methods: To investigate factors predicting aspects of clinical reasoning 67 advanced undergraduate medical students participated in the role of a beginning resident in our competence-based assessment, which included a consultation hour, a patient management phase, and a handover. Participants filled out a Post Encounter Form (PEF) to document their case summary statements and other aspects of clinical reasoning. After each phase, they filled out the Strain Perception Questionnaire (STRAIPER) to measure their situation dependent mental strain. To assess medical knowledge the participants completed a 100 questions multiple choice test. To measure stress resistance, adherence to procedures, and teamwork students took part in the Group Assessment of Performance (GAP) test for flight school applicants. These factors were included in a multiple linear regression analysis. Results: Medical knowledge and teamwork predicted the quality of case summary statements as an indicator of clinical reasoning of undergraduate medical students and explained approximately 20.3% of the variance. Neither age, gender, undergraduate curriculum, academic advancement nor high school grade point average of the medical students of our sample had an effect on their clinical reasoning skills. Conclusion: The quality of case summary statements as an indicator of clinical reasoning can be predicted in undergraduate medical students by their medical knowledge and teamwork. Students should be supported in developing abilities to work in a team and to acquire long term knowledge for good case summary statements as an important aspect of clinical reasoning.