Resources
Clinical Reasoning
One of the most important aspects of the role of the GP supervisor is to help develop the learner’s clinical reasoning skills.
Clinical reasoning is the process of making sense of the clinical and contextual information regarding a patient’s presentation in order to determine the best plan of management. It requires the ability to gather and integrate various sources of information, to weigh evidence, manage uncertainty and to reflect upon the process used to reach the diagnosis and make a management plan.
Sound clinical reasoning is fundamental to safe and effective general practice. While development of clinical reasoning skills is partly based on accumulation of experience, it is also a skill that can be taught. GP supervisors therefore play a vital role in teaching their learners to reason effectively.
At the end of this session, the supervisor will be able to:
- discuss concepts of clinical reasoning and understand the process of ‘how doctors think’
- describe common cognitive biases
- use effective teaching and learning strategies and resources to develop clinical reasoning skills in their registrars
Resources
A range of practical tips for the supervisor to support the registrar in learning clinical reasoning.
- Teaching clinical reasoning in general practice – Guide
- How to… Assess and teach clinical reasoning
- Game Clinical Reasoning
- Webinar: ‘Gimme one reason’ – a guided tour of the hidden kingdom of clinical reasoning
- Webinar: Supporting Your Registrar To Practice Evidence Based Medicine
- IM Reasoning – conversations to inspire critical thinking in clinical medicine and education (an ongoing and entertaining international podcast series on clinical reasoning skills. Good to listen to in the car!)
- Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine Clinical Reasoning Toolkit
Date reviewed: 22 October 2025
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