Critical Thinking for 21st-Century Medicine—Moving Beyond Illness Scripts

Key Points

• Critical thinking enhances clinical reasoning in medicine, offering a more effective approach than traditional illness scripts.
• The viewpoint emphasizes human pathophysiology as a crucial foundation for developing these critical thinking skills in clinicians.
• Traditional illness scripts can restrict clinical reasoning, implying a need for innovative methods to empower medical practitioners.
• Improved clinical reasoning may lead to better patient care and outcomes, suggesting that educational reforms in medicine are necessary.

Abstract