An investigation into the clinical reasoning of both expert and novice podiatrists

• Published in: Foot (Edinburgh, Scotland) Vol. 16; no. 1; pp. 28 - 32
• Main Authors: Curran, M.J., Campbell, J., Rugg, G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-03-2006
• Subjects: Clinical reasoning; Decision-making; Diagnosis; Grounded theory; Knowledge; Podiatry; Skills; Decision-making; Grounded theory; Podiatry; Skills; Clinical reasoning; Diagnosis; Knowledge
• ISSN: 0958-2592; 1532-2963
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foot.2005.11.001

It is important to understand how clinical reasoning occurs in podiatry so that podiatrists may be able to make the correct diagnosis and patients may benefit from the correct treatment. It is also important for the education of podiatry students and experts in specialist area of podiatry, so they may be taught procedures for clinical reasoning and problem based learning. Currently, there is little information as to how this process is achieved in the domain of podiatry.
The aim of this study was to investigate clinical reasoning in podiatry in both expert and novice podiatrists.
Think-aloud protocols were used to investigate the clinical reasoning of expert and novice podiatrists in general and specialist clinics. The think-aloud protocols were later analysed for content and themes were produced to help understand the process of clinical reasoning in podiatry.
Some of the themes used in clinical reasoning are common to experts in general podiatry practice and specialist podiatry practice. However, there is an increase in the number of clinical reasoning themes used by experts in a specialist setting than in a general setting.