Teaching Clinical Reasoning Through Cause‐and‐Effect Thinking: A Framework for Modern Medical Education

Clinical reasoning is foundational to effective medical practice, yet explicit instruction in this skill remains insufficient. Traditional bedside teaching, though invaluable, often fails to make reasoning processes transparent, leading to gaps in diagnostic acumen. This article introduces the cause‐and‐effect clinical method (CECM)—a structured five‐step framework designed to make clinical reasoning teachable and visible. Grounded in cognitive science, the method trains learners to think backwards from symptoms to causes and forward to consequences. Through its integration into bedside teaching, case discussions and assessments, the method promises to enhance diagnostic accuracy and prepare learners for the complexities of patient care.