Understanding context specificity: the effect of contextual factors on clinical reasoning.
This study explored the influence of contextual factors (i.e., factors beyond the case content potentially influencing reasoning) on context specificity and clinical reasoning. Internal medicine residents and attending physicians viewed outpatient clinic videos involving unstable angina and diabetes mellitus – one video with distracting contextual factors and one without. The results provide insight into factors influencing diagnostic reasoning during outpatient visits for common medical conditions.