Skip to main content

Metacognition in Neurosurgery

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Learning and Career Development in Neurosurgery
  • 358 Accesses

Abstract

Metacognition, a buzzword in educational psychology literature, literally means “thinking about thinking.” It is the cognitive process behind the critical thinking necessary for learning and theoretical or practical problem-solving. The literature and experience point towards the clinical judgment and diagnostic errors for a significant number of medical/surgical morbidity and mortality. Metacognitive strategies can significantly reduce such morbidity and mortality. Therefore, it is crucial for neurosurgeons, residents, and medical students to understand the concept of metacognition and its application in the learning process. There are multiple strategies to teach metacognition in neurosurgical practice. The three main general strategies to enhance metacognition are planning, monitoring, and evaluation. Apart from these general strategies, there are many situations-based strategies to improve metacognition during active learning or experiential settings. In this chapter, we briefly overview the concept of metacognition, its importance in neurosurgical education and discuss the strategies to teach or inculcate metacognition in students.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Newman-Toker DE, Schaffer AC, Yu-Moe CW, et al. Serious misdiagnosis-related harms in malpractice claims: the “big three”—vascular events, infections, and cancers. J Diagn. 2019;6(3):227–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Leape LL, Berwick DM, Bates DWJJ. Counting deaths due to medical errors—reply. JAMA. 2002;288(19):2405.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Tehrani ASS, Lee H, Mathews SC, et al. 25-year summary of US malpractice claims for diagnostic errors 1986–2010: an analysis from the National Practitioner Data Bank. BMJ Qual Saf. 2013;22(8):672–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Singh H, Giardina TD, Meyer AN, Forjuoh SN, Reis MD, Thomas EJ. Types and origins of diagnostic errors in primary care settings. JAMA Intern Med. 2013;173(6):418–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Singh H, Meyer AN, Thomas EJ. The frequency of diagnostic errors in outpatient care: estimations from three large observational studies involving US adult populations. BMJ Qual Saf. 2014;23(9):727–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Shojania KG, Burton EC, McDonald KM, Goldman LJJ. Changes in rates of autopsy-detected diagnostic errors over time: a systematic review. JAMA. 2003;289(21):2849–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Flavell JH. Metacognition and cognitive monitoring: a new area of cognitive–developmental inquiry. Am Psychol. 1979;34(10):906.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Rickey D, Stacy AM. The role of metacognition in learning chemistry. J Chem Educ. 2000;77(7):915.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Magno CJM. The role of metacognitive skills in developing critical thinking. Metacogn Learn. 2010;5(2):137–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. The program directors’ guide to the common program requirements (residency) e-book. 2019; https://dl.acgme.org/learn/course/the-program-directors-guide-to-the-common-program-requirements-residency-ebook/interactive-handbook/e-book. Accessed 10 May 2021.

  11. Goodchild F, Mayer RJ. The critical thinker. 1990:4.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Medina MS, Castleberry AN, Persky AM. Strategies for improving learner metacognition in health professional education. Am J Pharm Educ. 2017;81(4):78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Vrugt A, Oort FJ. Metacognition, achievement goals, study strategies and academic achievement: pathways to achievement. Metacogn Learn. 2008;3(2):123–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anil Nanda .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Raju, B., Jumah, F., Nagaraj, A., Nanda, A. (2022). Metacognition in Neurosurgery. In: Ammar, A. (eds) Learning and Career Development in Neurosurgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-02078-0_7

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-02078-0_7

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-02077-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-02078-0

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics