Medical Decision Making (MDM)

Medical Decision Making addresses the knowledge and skills that are required in making basic and important decisions in the practice of medicine. These include physician computer literacy skills, writing and presentation skills, critical evaluation of the literature, study design, biostatistics, epidemiology, issues related to diagnosis and the ordering and interpretation of clinical tests, decision analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis, and decision psychology. MDM provides a context that will help students understand and apply the large amount of basic science and clinical information learned in the first two years.

The goals of MDM are for students to:

• Independently evaluate the state of current medical knowledge
• Discuss the impact of the healthcare system within a broader social context
• Critically assess the quality of medical literature
• Define and discuss basic study designs
• Discuss the impact of disease and secondary effects on patients
• Discuss method of treating the patient as both a person and a member of a larger community
• Discuss the principles of biostatistics

Medical Decision Making II and III

First and second year students in small groups of approximately 10 students.

MDM II: 5/14-5/25

First-year students, 8-10 am daily for two weeks, approximately 8 sessions in 2 weeks. MDM II is taught in small group workshops as well as lectures; content includes basic study designs, biostatistics, epidemiology, literature critique, and basic concepts in diagnostic test use.

Literature Critique Track
Clinical Epidemiology Track
Faculty members can choose to teach one or both "tracks"

MDM III: 3/28-4/6

Second-year students, 8-10 am daily, approximately 7 sessions in 2 weeks. MDM III has a format similar to MDM II, and deals with advanced concepts in test use, the practice of evidence-based medicine, decision modeling including cost-effectiveness, additional study designs and critique, decision psychology related to both the patient and the physician, and computer decision aids.

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