On Monday, 3 November 2014, the award was handed to Dr. Esteve Llargués, who teaches the module, during a ceremony held at the National Theatre of Catalonia and attended by the Government of Catalonia’s Minister of Health, Boi Ruiz, in addition to more than 600 healthcare professionals. The UIC was one of 100 prizewinners, who were chosen from among a total of 1,500 candidates.

In the words of the directors of the degree programme: “This module responds to a gap in the training of healthcare professionals. Although the rational use of diagnostic and therapeutic tests is starting to become a concern for healthcare services in certain parts of the world, such as the United States, healthcare professionals do not undergo specific training in this area until they begin their clinical internships. As a result, a degree programme whose curriculum includes a module such as the one taught at the UIC is a first-rate example of innovation in teaching”.

The module, which is taught through lectures, the case study method and the analysis of clinical cases, aims to give students the capacity to make an initial diagnostic decision and establish a rational diagnostic strategy. Students must also be able to understand the importance and limitations of scientific thinking, formulate hypotheses and gather and critically evaluate information in order to solve problems using the scientific method. This will enable them to plan a study of diagnostic and therapeutic tests (signs, priorities and scale of complexity) based on clinical reasoning and differential diagnosis. Additionally, students must also have a thorough understanding of the tests so they can inform patients of the risks and benefits they involve, and know how to assess the information generated by the tests and carry out a critical comparison with the clinic.