Clinical Reasoning - a Scotoma in the Medical Gaze?

Abstract

Clinical reasoning is a core activity in everyday clinical work, but is also a well-developed field of research with scholarly papers, reviews, books, conferences and medical curriculum activities. In this body of knowledge, and although it remains a complex construct [1], clinical reasoning is generally defined as the cognitive processes and mental structures that physicians mobilise to decide on medical diagnoses and adequate treatment [2]. Tracing its theoretical foundations in cognitive psychology, such a definition of clinical reasoning has offered solid grounds for problem-solving and simulation approaches in medical education.