PMMDR1: Diagnostic Reasoning

Module code: PMMDR1

Module provider: Pharmacy; School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy

Credits: 20

Level: Postgraduate Masters

When you'll be taught: Semester 2 / Summer

Module convenor: Mrs Caroline Gowlett, email: caroline.gowlett@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module is aimed at practising healthcare professionals who are in roles requiring, or that will require, advanced skills in diagnostic reasoning to support differential diagnosis and critical thinking.  Through academic study days and workplace-based learning, students will be supported to develop skills in analysing, evaluating and requesting diagnostic tests in relation to advanced patient care roles.  This module is particularly suited for students who are working, or planning a role as, an advanced clinical practitioner/advancing practice.

The module can be studied stand-alone or as part of the MSc in Advancing Healthcare Practice.  Practitioners will be supported to reflect on their experiences by developing a professional portfolio of their learning, which can be mapped to a relevant professional framework, such as the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Competency Framework for all Prescribers.

This module will support you to develop your diagnostic and reasoning skills for the requesting and interpretation of common clinical investigations. Through a mixed model of teaching methods with online and face-to-face learning, you will develop the expert knowledge required for the interpretation of common haematological, biochemical, microbiological and immunological tests, as well as the principles of radiological imaging, to enable you to apply evidenced based decision making to help formulate a definitive diagnosis.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate advanced skills in differential diagnosis including data gathering, synthesis, critical analysis and communication with patients/carers.
2. Demonstrate the ability to undertake appropriate reasoning and critique of diagnostic tools to inform diagnosis
3. Critically analyse available data to differentiate normal and abnormal results/imaging, using this information to identify a differential diagnosis, and formulate a treatment plan utilising the best evidence
4. Demonstrate a systematic and thorough approach to managing patients with a range of common conditions.
5. Critically reflect on personal development of knowledge, skills and behaviour in relation to personal limitations, advanced clinical practice and continuing professional development.

Module content

This module will focus on supporting practitioners to apply a range of appraisal and reasoning skills to common diagnostic resources to inform and justify appropriate diagnosis. You will critically explore a variety diagnostic tests and imaging resources to effectively make decisions in the best interest of the patient, taking into account diagnostic accuracy and cost.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

This module will use a range of teaching and learning methods.  The University teaching is based around face-to-face workshops and directed study.  The workshops are underpinned by directed learning via Blackboard and self-directed learning, where practitioners are required to use a range of sources to gain information to support the development of their knowledge and skills.

A significant proportion of the programme is designed to be directed study in preparation for the face-to-face workshop through which practitioners can undertake activities to develop their knowledge, skills and behaviours. The development of critiquing and clinical reasoning in relation to diagnosis is essential to this module and will be reflected in the case study assessment.

This module is studied over three to six months, and there may be more than one cohort per year, therefore the distinction of hours by term is not possible.  The hours shown for semester 1 below are spread over the entire module.

Study hours

At least 15 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 50% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Formative feedback on case study 

Reassessment

Additional costs