The use of clinical case studies to develop clinical reasoning in sports therapy students: The students' perspective

Aims: The aim of this study was to examine a cohort of second year undergraduate sports therapy students' perceptions regarding the effectiveness of clinical case studies in the development of clinical reasoning skills, and how clinical case studies may influence performance in a sports injury clinic. Methods: The study involved 55 students (23 male, 32 female) and used a mixed methods approach, involving a questionnaire with open ended questions, Likert scale questionnaire and interviews that aimed to determine students' perceptions of their performance. Five main areas were investigated with the open-ended questions: defining clinical reasoning; advantages and disadvantages of clinical case studies; the effectiveness of clinical case studies in comparison to real patients; and whether clinical case studies helped students working in a sports injury clinic. Students completed a 5-point Likert scale that asked three statements regarding the clinical environment. Following the questionnaire, a sample of 15 students were randomly selected for individual interviews. Findings: The results suggested that the students' responses were generally in favour of the use of clinical case studies to aid the development of confidence, communication and clinical reasoning. Conclusions: Clinical learning is unpredictable due to patient interaction, and therefore clinical case studies might be a learning tool that can be used to assist the journey to clinical competence.