You can’t memorize it all. That’s why medicine is moving out of memory-based practice to evidence-based decision making. Changing the way we prepare the next generation of doctors and health care professionals will shape the diagnostic process in such a way that hopefully reduce diagnostic errors.
At VisualDx, we believe it’s not only important for students to learn how to diagnose properly but also provide students the tools to confirm their diagnosis or to build a differential diagnosis to compare variations of disease to arrive at the accurate diagnosis.
A study published in the current issue of the Postgraduate Medical Journal of the BMJ looked at the role VisualDx plays in medical education and clinical practice. Fifty-one medical students and 13 dermatology residents participated in the study at the dermatology teaching clinic at China Medical University Hospital.
The study observed the students and residents as they diagnosed 13 patients: first without VisualDx; then, with VisualDx. The consultant dermatologist’s diagnosis was used as the standard.
The study found that without VisualDx, the students and residents accurately diagnosed their patients 62.5% of the time. With VisualDx, diagnostic accuracy increased to 81.25%.
The researchers concluded that an 18.75% increase in diagnostic accuracy could lead to an avoidance of misdiagnosis and medical resource waste and the possibility for better treatment. More studies (on a larger scale) are recommended by the researchers to confirm VisualDx’s place in medical education.
Subscribe to VisualDx Today
Become a VisualDx subscriber today and gain access to clinical information and medical images of thousands of diagnoses. Your first 7 days are FREE.