The Association Between Confidence and Accuracy Among Users of a Mobile Web Platform for Medical Education
Authors: Jason Theobald, Shiv Gaglani, M. Ryan Haynes
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2015)

Letters3 March 2015The Association Between Confidence and Accuracy Among Users of a Mobile Web Platform for Medical EducationJason Theobald, BA, Shiv Gaglani, BA, and M. Ryan Haynes, BS, MPhil, PhDJason Theobald, BAFrom New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland., Shiv Gaglani, BAFrom New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland., and M. Ryan Haynes, BS, MPhil, PhDFrom New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L15-5059 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Background: Recent literature suggests that physicians' diagnostic confidence tends to exceed accuracy, with confidence being relatively inflexible regardless of case difficulty (1). Overconfidence could lead to physicians not asking for help when they need it. Underconfidence may expose patients to defensive medicine. Those who lack confidence may misrepresent their actual level of knowledge, resulting in missed opportunities for professional development (2). Research suggests that female medical students perform as well as their male peers but report less confidence in their abilities and are actually perceived to be less confident (3). The future of medical education may involve training students to ...References1. Meyer AN, Payne VL, Meeks DW, Rao R, Singh H. Physicians' diagnostic accuracy, confidence, and resource requests: a vignette study. JAMA Intern Med. 2013;173:1952-8. [PMID: 23979070] doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.10081 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Nomura K, Yano E, Fukui T. Gender differences in clinical confidence: a nationwide survey of resident physicians in Japan. Acad Med. 2010;85:647-53. [PMID: 20354381] doi:10.1097/ACM.0b013e3181d2a796 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Blanch DC, Hall JA, Roter DL, Frankel RM. Medical student gender and issues of confidence. Patient Educ Couns. 2008;72:374-81. [PMID: 18656322] doi:10.1016/j.pec.2008.05.021 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Berner ES, Graber ML. Overconfidence as a cause of diagnostic error in medicine. Am J Med. 2008;121:S2-23. [PMID: 18440350] doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2008.01.001 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Gaglani SM, Haynes MR. What can medical education learn from Facebook and Netflix? Ann Intern Med. 2014;160:640-1. [PMID: 24798524]. doi:10.7326/M13-2286 LinkGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Jason Theobald, BA; Shiv Gaglani, BA; M. Ryan Haynes, BS, MPhil, PhDAffiliations: From New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L14-0470. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byGender disparity between authors in leading medical journals during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional reviewThe Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery (FES) skills test: factors associated with first-attempt scores and pass rateHeuristics, Overconfidence, and ExperienceAwareness, knowledge, and attitudes towards human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among pharmacy studentsGender effects in medical education: implications for training and gender equity in regional anesthesiaDeciding to lead: a qualitative study of women leaders in emergency medicineLeadership in Medical Emergencies Is "Highly Teachable"Teaching Students to Say "I Don't Know": Potential Methods and ImplicationsUsing "big data" to guide implementation of a web and mobile adaptive learning platform for medical studentsAssociation between Participation in an Intensive Longitudinal Assessment Program and Performance on a Cognitive Examination in the Maintenance of Certification in Anesthesiology Program®Sex and gender in medical education: a national student survey 3 March 2015Volume 162, Issue 5Page: 395-396KeywordsBehaviorCareer advancementDatabasesDisclosureEmotionsForecastingMedical educationPatientsSexual identity ePublished: 3 March 2015 Issue Published: 3 March 2015 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2015 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...