Learning and Development of Diagnostic Reasoning in Occupational Therapy Undergraduate Students.

BACKGROUND/AIM: One way to facilitate occupational therapy undergraduate students transferring their academic skills of data gathering and analysis to professional settings is to ensure they can competently use diagnostic reasoning. Nevertheless, there are several obvious gaps in empirical evidence related to the learning and development of this style of reasoning in occupational therapy undergraduates. The most important are related to promoting higher-order thinking and the use of information to solve problems in the context of professional practice. This study analyses undergraduates' diagnostic reasoning and its changes during their education. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This multicentre study was conducted with a descriptive observational design. The study took place at the University of Coruña (Spain), University of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain), and University of el Valle (Colombia). The sample was n = 247. For data collection, a clinical case was specifically designed. IBM SPSS Statistics (v19) and EPIDAT 3.1 were used for the data analysis. RESULTS: Participants identified and categorized occupational performance problems. However, they had difficulties when identifying and categorizing the occupational performance components (specifically, the symptoms and signs of the disease presented in the study case). They presented limitations to analyse and synthesize the information collected to develop an explanation of the occupational problems and their causes. CONCLUSIONS: Undergraduate students' ability to analyse and synthesize information during data collection is poorly organized, so it makes the problem formulation difficult. This study contributes to the knowledge of undergraduates' diagnostic reasoning features, specifically the undergraduate students' capacities and limits to process information during the occupational assessment.

Razonamiento clínico en terapia ocupacional. Una revisión narrativa

Resumen Introducción. El razonamiento clínico ordena el procesamiento de la información obtenida durante la evaluación, facilitando tomar decisiones para implementar planes de tratamiento. Esta área es cada vez más relevante para la formación de estudiantes y profesionales de terapia ocupacional. Objetivo. Analizar la literatura sobre razonamiento clínico en terapia ocupacional publicada entre 2009 y 2018. Materiales y métodos. Se realizó una revisión de la literatura en bases de datos, repositorios institucionales, monografías y literatura gris de alcance. Se establecieron criterios de selección para la obtención de documentos que luego se analizaron estableciendo un conjunto de variables que permitieron el análisis de la literatura. Resultados. La literatura sobre razonamiento clínico en el período estudiado fue de 99 publicaciones, más de la mitad que en los 33 años anteriores. El razonamiento clínico en el ámbito docente es el de mayor impacto (41.4%); 52.5% son publicaciones que mejoran la práctica con sus aportes al reforzar el desarrollo de destrezas profesionales y la calidad de las intervenciones. Conclusión. El aumento de la investigación sobre razonamiento clínico en terapia ocupacional dota a esta área de conocimiento y rigor, mejorando así la eficacia de los terapeutas ocupacionales.

Abstract Introduction: Clinical reasoning regulates the processing of information obtained during assessment, facilitating decision-making to implement treatment plans. This area is increasingly relevant to the training of Occupational Therapy students and professionals. Objective: To analyze the literature on clinical reasoning in Occupational Therapy published between 2009 and 2018. Materials and methods: A literature review was conducted on databases, institutional repositories, monographs and related grey literature. Selection criteria were established to obtain documents that were analyzed subsequently, establishing a set of variables that allowed analyzing the literature. Results: Literature on clinical reasoning in the period studied included 99 publications, which represented more than half of what had been published in the previous 33 years. Clinical reasoning in the teaching field has the greatest impact (41.4%); 52.5% were publications that improved practice with their contributions, reinforcing the development of professional skills and the quality of interventions. Conclusions: The increase of research on clinical reasoning in Occupational Therapy provides this area with knowledge and rigor, thus improving the effectiveness of occupational therapists.