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Practicum Script helps physicians become confident and skilled when facing real cases

DR. RICARDO SPECIALE

Cardiologist at the Centro Cardiovascular Alberdi of Santiago del Estero (Argentina).

Dr. Ricardo Speciale is an Argentine cardiologist practicing in the province of Santiago del Estero. He is a physician in the intermediate treatment unit of the Hospital Independencia, a permanent physician at the Centro Cardiovascular Alberdi, and an active member of the Argentine Federation of Cardiology. The specialist believes that Practicum Script "allows physicians to establish a presumptive diagnosis, take into account differential diagnoses, and confirm a diagnosis with certainty."

Madrid - August 28, 2018. What use do you see for the simulator in graduate training?
PS is important because it is one of the few courses in which cases very similar to real ones are presented to the specialist. The purpose of postgraduation is precisely to try to familiarize the physician with situations similar to those that will be encountered. PS allows physicians to establish a presumptive diagnosis, take into account differential diagnoses, and confirm a diagnosis with certainty. 

Does the introduction of dilemmatic situations and controversy play in favor of the confidence of the professional in himself? 
It surely does. It helps the professional become confident and skilled when facing real cases. 

Can you mention any case of particular interest to you? 
I would be unable to talk about one case in particular since they are all challenging to medical reasoning. In terms of resources, I think that comparisons with the experts’ decisions and their explanations are the best because they show if our reasoning was correct.

Do you reason better now? 
Clinical reasoning is a permanent training, so this course offers us this possibility. Clinical reasoning accompanies the physician throughout his life. 

To what extent is it worth leaving the formats of mere memory learning and betting on controlled simulation environments? 
Controlled simulation is the closest thing to the real scenario and allows the possibility of practicing it. 

How important is the evaluation of competencies? 
Competence with altruistic spirit always generates quality. A competent physician improves his quality of offering a better service.

Is the implementation of clinical reasoning able to reduce the feared medical error? 
The possibility of medical error decreases as the physician gains confidence since it allows him to make reasoned decisions. 

What impact does training with tools like Practicum have on hospitals?
In my center in particular, there are no programs or assessments of health care quality. PS corrects in part this situation and reinforces the quality of human health care resources.

Does PS help you deal with your patients?
In my case, most of my patients come from a public hospital. Sometimes, not all medical complexities are available to treat them, but PS allows us to reason how far we can get with the available medical resources.

Do you have anything else to say? 
Finally, PS is a necessary and practical tool that should be established as an exercise and assessment instrument for physicians, adapting them to the circumstances of different locations.

Testimonies

For me, the program is very interesting, since it allows me to sharpen my interrogation and direct it more towards a specific pathology and to have more knowledge of laboratory and cabinet exams. I think it is very important that we keep our medical sagacity throughout our practice and that in the few minutes it takes to answer any of the cases that Practicum Script presents, you acquire more knowledge.

Dr. Miguel Olivares Alcocer

Pediatrician in Guanajuato (Mexico)

I would like to express my gratitude to the Practicum Institute of Health Sciences Research for the opportunity given to Latin American physicians  to access and take different courses of our specialty for the benefit of our dear patients, in my case in Mexico. It has encouraged me to improve myself and keep abreast of the advances in Pediatrics and put into practice the knowledge acquired in the hospital where I work. Thanks friends and congratulations to this valuable team of Practicum Script Education.

Dr. Heriberto Fuentes García

Pediatrician in Sonora (Mexico)

I am grateful for this study tool that, through Nestlé and with this method, allows us to review different issues with cases that confront us in decision-making and serve us in the daily consultation.

Dr. Josué Refugio de León Padilla

Pediatrician in Jalisco (Mexico)

It is an excellent educational support platform for the pediatrician, offers very specific clinical challenges with alternatives for diagnosis and differential diagnoses, with the support of experts, a bibliography and a forum to share opinions. It's easy to navigate and it's fun, a tool that's worth using and making the most of it.

Dr. Guillermo Yanowsky-Reyes

Surgery Pediatrician in Guadalajara (Mexico)

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