Enhancing the “What” and “Why” of the Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process With the “How” of Clinical Reasoning

Objectives. Clinical reasoning is integral to the provision of patient-centered care as outlined in the Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process (PPCP). However, the PPCP was not created to foster clinical reasoning in student pharmacists and cannot be the sole tool used to characterize or cultivate these skills. This article describes elements of clinical reasoning, the relationship between clinical reasoning and PPCP, and concepts from the clinical reasoning literature that should inform the teaching of clinical reasoning skills. Findings. Key elements of the PPCP were identified in clinical reasoning definitions, but differences emerged. The literature supports clinical reasoning as a bidirectional, fluid process that is highly collaborative. Effective clinical reasoning requires multiple types of “thinking,” interaction with others and the environment, self-assessment, and a tolerance for nuance or ambiguity. Teaching strategies can be used in the didactic and experiential setting to target the cognitive and contextual factors associated with clinical reasoning. Summary. Educators should consult the literature to enhance our understanding of clinical reasoning in seeking to teach, model, and foster these skills in our students. Future scholarship should include the development of models to support clinical reasoning within the profession of pharmacy, adoption and experimentation with clinical reasoning teaching techniques, and valuation of the utility of various assessment tools and processes.