Bender Holly S, Danielson Jared A
Department of Veterinary Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, 50011, USA.
Clin Lab Med. 2011 Mar;31(1):201-15. doi: 10.1016/j.cll.2010.10.007. Epub 2010 Dec 18.
The Diagnostic Pathfinder was designed to help students learn diagnostic problem solving by supporting them in explaining relationships among history and physical examination findings, data abnormalities, and the underlying mechanisms of disease. The Pathfinder has been used to teach diagnostic problem solving to veterinary students since 2001 and is currently in use at 10 colleges of veterinary medicine. This article describes how the Pathfinder works and summarizes results from studies exploring the effect of Pathfinder use on learning and satisfaction. Pathfinder characteristics are described in terms of their influence on cognitive load, and strategies are provided for effective implementation.
