Niebuhr B R, Rahr R R
Office of Academic Affairs, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston 77550.
Acad Med. 1989 Sep;64(9):550-1.
The structure and function of memory affect medical problem solving. The purpose of this 1982 study was to test the assertion that the number of diagnoses actively entertained by novice clinicians during a simulated case would not be greater than seven, the average maximum storage capacity of short-term memory. A total of 24 junior physician's assistant students took mock medical histories and gave mock physical examinations using simulated patients. Each of the eight cases investigated by each group included a primary problem with various numbers of secondary problems. Three successive time periods, called interludes, were provided in which each student had three minutes to list all the hypotheses he or she was actively considering concerning the diagnosis of the patient's problem. Each interlude was scheduled at a progressively more complete point in the student's knowledge of the case. The results supported the assertion that was tested.
记忆的结构和功能会影响医学问题的解决。这项1982年研究的目的是检验这样一种论断：在模拟病例中，新手临床医生积极考虑的诊断数量不会超过七个，即短期记忆的平均最大存储容量。共有24名初级医师助理专业的学生采用模拟病人进行了模拟病史采集和模拟体格检查。每个小组所研究的八个病例中的每一个都包含一个主要问题以及数量不等的次要问题。提供了三个连续的时间段，称为间隔期，每个学生有三分钟时间列出他或她正在积极考虑的有关患者问题诊断的所有假设。每个间隔期安排在学生对病例了解得越来越全面的阶段。结果支持了所检验的论断。
