Final-Year Medical Students’ Reflections on Clinical Reasoning during Pediatric Case Presentations: A Pilot Study in Yemen

Background: Reflection enhances clinical reasoning and professional development, especially during real-time clinical experiences such as pediatric case presentations. However, little is known about how medical students in low-resource settings like Yemen engage in reflective practice during these encounters. Objectives: This pilot study explored final-year medical students’ reflections on their clinical reasoning following pediatric case presentations, focusing on perceived educational value, skill gaps, and self-confidence. Methods: Twenty-two final-year medical students at a Yemeni medical school completed a structured reflection questionnaire after pediatric case presentations. The questionnaire, adapted from validated reflective tools, included 11 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Descriptive statistics and internal consistency analysis (Cronbach’s alpha) were conducted using SPSS version 22. Results: Students demonstrated engagement with reflection. Most agreed that “Reflection is beneficial to learning” (86.4%) and that they “learned something new to apply in future practice” (77.3%). A large proportion (81.8%) identified gaps in pediatric-specific skills or knowledge. However, only 36.4% felt confident managing the cases, indicating a gap between reflective insight and perceived clinical competence. Conclusion: Structured reflection during pediatric case presentations may support clinical reasoning and help identify learning needs among final-year medical students in Yemen. While students valued the reflective process, low confidence levels suggest a need for enhanced clinical supervision and targeted support. Reflection tailored to specialty and setting may be particularly useful in preparing students for independent practice.