Most first- and fourth-year medical students in one school were unable to solve a written problem case, suggesting that medical education has failed to teach the skills of formulating overall hypotheses and subhypotheses before choosing treatment options. (Author/MSE)

Research reveals that successful problem solvers must possess comprehensive knowledge, and more importantly, have appropriate knowledge organization and understanding. A new taxonomy of medical problems is recommended, and it is suggested that the traditional hypothetico-deductive strategy for problem-based learning be replaced by scheme-driven…

An approach to testing medical students' clinical decision-making skills identifies key features (critical steps in resolution of a clinical problem) and presents a clinical case scenario followed by questions focusing on those key features. Key-feature problems provide flexibility on issues of question format, multiple responses to questions, and…

A study compared results of 2 teaching methods, traditional Socratic method (22 students) and a problem-based curriculum (35 students) in a University of Kentucky medical school surgery clerkship. Results showed the problem-based method resulted in similar knowledge level but improved clinical problem-solving skills. (Author/MSE)

To design effective academic health centers for the future, medical leaders must define the competencies needed by tomorrow's physicians, including the ability to manage the uncertainty associated with creating clinical models and the uncertainty associated with managing care delivery. Currently, focus is on the former, but there is increasing…

A Dutch study compared the clinical diagnostic skills of 612 medical students educated at schools with problem-based, integrated, or conventional curricula. Students responded to 30 case histories epidemiologically representative of Dutch society and all organ systems. Students trained within problem-based and integrated curricula made more…