MED INF 402 Introduction to Clinical Thinking
Course Description
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This course provides students with insight into the clinical care process. It is designed for
students not previously involved in clinical medicine as a nurse, pharmacist, or physician, as well as those trained in medicine outside the U.S. Course content will include some basic medical terminology and introductory pathophysiology. Topics include eliciting information from patients, synthesizing the history and physical examination, decision making for ordering tests, establishing diagnoses, treatment planning, integrating evidence-based medicine, and using an intelligent medical record in a complex environment. |
Instructor: David Liebovitz, M.D.
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Syllabus Spring 2012
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Course Artifact
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Learning Goals:
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Text
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Cutler, P. (1998). Problem solving in clinical medicine: From data to diagnosis (3rd ed.). Philadelphia, PA:
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. [ISBN-13: 978-0683301670] |
Interestingly, diagnosing medical conditions and debugging techniques are very similar using a very similar scientific method. Did you know, most physicians can diagnose most conditions within 2 minutes of investigation!
The first few chapters are a little heavy in medical terminology for the non-medical reader; however, the point is apparent even if the specific terms are not well understood. |
My take away from this course:
Effective interpersonal communication—real-time, face-to-face or phone conversations—allows clinicians—physicians, nurses and other practitioners—to acquire nuanced information from patients and other clinicians that cannot easily be communicated in medical records, including social context, values, preferences and issues specific to complex patients. Better communication between patients and physicians and between primary care physicians and specialists is a key component of care coordination and leads to improved patient outcomes. Yet, patients’ and clinicians’ levels of satisfaction with interpersonal communication have declined.
Interpersonal communication includes both patient-clinician communication, which is part of an ongoing relationship, and communication between clinicians, which primarily involves discussing clinical decisions for shared patients. EMRs can potentially support both types of communication.
While EMRs are expected to improve information sharing, it is less clear how their actual use affects interpersonal communication. This topic is particularly timely given the recent federal push for widespread EMR adoption, and the need to avoid worsening already-poor communication with patients and between clinicians sharing responsibility for patients.
Ease of access to information also enriched patient education during visits. For example, clinicians could pull up information from the patient’s record, such as the problem list, medication list and care plan, or educational information from the Internet to review on screen with patients and family members during the visit rses and other practitioners—to acquire nuanced information from patients and other clinicians that cannot easily be communicated in medical records, including social context, values, preferences and issues specific to complex patients. Better communication between patients and physicians and between primary care physicians and specialists is a key component of care coordination and leads to improved patient outcomes. Yet, patients’ and clinicians’ levels of satisfaction with interpersonal communication have declined.
Interpersonal communication includes both patient-clinician communication, which is part of an ongoing relationship, and communication between clinicians, which primarily involves discussing clinical decisions for shared patients. EMRs can potentially support both types of communication.
While EMRs are expected to improve information sharing, it is less clear how their actual use affects interpersonal communication. This topic is particularly timely given the recent federal push for widespread EMR adoption, and the need to avoid worsening already-poor communication with patients and between clinicians sharing responsibility for patients.
Effective interpersonal communication—real-time, face-to-face or phone conversations—allows clinicians—physicians, nurses and other practitioners—to acquire nuanced information from patients and other clinicians that cannot easily be communicated in medical records, including social context, values, preferences and issues specific to complex patients. Better communication between patients and physicians and between primary care physicians and specialists is a key component of care coordination and leads to improved patient outcomes. Yet, patients’ and clinicians’ levels of satisfaction with interpersonal communication have declined.
Interpersonal communication includes both patient-clinician communication, which is part of an ongoing relationship, and communication between clinicians, which primarily involves discussing clinical decisions for shared patients. EMRs can potentially support both types of communication.
While EMRs are expected to improve information sharing, it is less clear how their actual use affects interpersonal communication. This topic is particularly timely given the recent federal push for widespread EMR adoption, and the need to avoid worsening already-poor communication with patients and between clinicians sharing responsibility for patients.
Ease of access to information also enriched patient education during visits. For example, clinicians could pull up information from the patient’s record, such as the problem list, medication list and care plan, or educational information from the Internet to review on screen with patients and family members during the visit rses and other practitioners—to acquire nuanced information from patients and other clinicians that cannot easily be communicated in medical records, including social context, values, preferences and issues specific to complex patients. Better communication between patients and physicians and between primary care physicians and specialists is a key component of care coordination and leads to improved patient outcomes. Yet, patients’ and clinicians’ levels of satisfaction with interpersonal communication have declined.
Interpersonal communication includes both patient-clinician communication, which is part of an ongoing relationship, and communication between clinicians, which primarily involves discussing clinical decisions for shared patients. EMRs can potentially support both types of communication.
While EMRs are expected to improve information sharing, it is less clear how their actual use affects interpersonal communication. This topic is particularly timely given the recent federal push for widespread EMR adoption, and the need to avoid worsening already-poor communication with patients and between clinicians sharing responsibility for patients.