PedScripts

Compared to expert clinicians, students are at a disadvantage because they don’t have a mental model for common conditions and how they present in the real world. As a result, they may ask the wrong questions, perform the wrong exam, or omit key elements in data gathering. PedScripts will help students become familiar with illness scripts for real-world presentations so that they can gather the right data. Before students see a patient in a clinical setting, they should review the appropriate algorithm and/or illness scripts for the presenting complaint (if available). If the complaint includes a large number of illness scripts, students can narrow down to a few illness scripts by using the algorithm. If the complaint includes a small number of illness scripts, students can simply review all of the available illness scripts. While reviewing the illness scripts, students should take note of important components of the history and physical exam that separate one script from another. These are the key components of a focused history and physical exam for the patient. Students can then begin the patient encounter with a better sense of how to approach differential diagnosis. Disclaimer: This WebApp is not intended for public use. It is for educational purposes only. For individual health concerns please see your health care provider.