Avaliation of Clinical Reasoning in the Medical Course in Portugal Clinical Reasoning Assessment in Portuguese Medical Schools

Introduction: Clinical reasoning is a fulcral competence for medical practice. Your endorsement plays an important role in preventing medical error; Therefore, it should be based on the best international practices. Given the lack of knowledge about the assessment of clinical reasoning in Portuguese medical schools, this research aims to deepen this knowledge, analyzing the prevalence of application of various assessment methods and identifying the main associated obstacles. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire was applied between May and July 2023 to all teachers responsible for curricular units of the 4th year or 6th year of the Integrated Master in Medicine in Portugal. Refer to the SPSS (R) software, version 28.0 for Microsoft Windows (R). The data are predominantly analyzed by means of descriptive statistics. Results: Foram collected 75 responses from 8 Medical schools in Portugal, representing approximately the entire population. Most of the teachers have more than 30 years of experience in assessment. Multiple screening questions constitute the most applied assessment method. The methods applied in a simulated and clinical context, by direct observation, are in the curriculum. Among the main obstacles identified, the lack of time and human resources stands out. Conclusions: A greater implementation of methods in a simulated context and in a clinical setting is necessary, allowing a more complete and authentic evaluation of clinical reasoning. In this sense, it is essential to increase investment in human resources, increasing the hiring of professionals and promoting training in methodologies for the evaluation of clinical reasoning.