Wells, Lloyd A.

AbstractI discuss the lack of precision in the term ‘clinical reasoning’ and its relationship to evidence‐based medicine and critical thinking. I examine critical thinking skills, their underemphasis in medical education and successful attempts to remediate them. Evidence‐based medicine (and evidence‐based psychiatry) offer much but are hampered by the ubiquity and flaws of meta‐analysis. I explore views of evidence‐based medicine among psychiatry residents, as well as capacity for critical thinking in residents before and after a course in philosophy. I discuss decision making by experienced doctors and suggest possible futures of this issue.