Critical thinking is one of the most valuable skills in the field of life sciences and perhaps one of the most underrated. In modern medical education and clinical practice, it is a theoretical concept and a practical necessity. As Richard Paul famously defined it, critical thinking is “thinking about your thinking, while you’re thinking, in order to make thinking better.” In healthcare, this means questioning assumptions, evaluating evidence and making informed, patient-centered decisions in a world overflowing with data, opinions and misinformation. For healthcare professionals, critical thinking is what allows them to go beyond standardized procedures and approach each patient as an individual. It enables physicians, nurses, pharmacists and researchers to interpret clinical guidelines through the lens of experience, assess the validity of research findings and design personalized interventions. Without it, medicine becomes mechanical. A lack of critical thinking has even been linked to diagnostic errors, as clinicians fall prey to cognitive biases or fail to challenge their own assumptions in complex cases. In short, critical thinking can literally be the difference between the right and wrong diagnosis.
Integrating critical thinking into medical education is therefore not optional, it’s essential. Universities and training institutions must move beyond passive knowledge transfer and instead create environments that inspire curiosity, analysis, and reflection. Problem-based learning, critical article reviews, simulation exercises, structured debates and reflective feedback are proven methods that develop deeper reasoning. Some of the world’s leading medical schools, including Harvard Medical School and the Karolinska Institute, have successfully embraced this approach, demonstrating that when students are encouraged to think rather than memorize, both education and patient care thrive.
History itself offers powerful lessons about the impact of critical thinking. One of the most famous examples is the discovery of Helicobacter pylori as the true cause of gastric ulcers. For decades, ulcers were attributed to stress, spicy food, and alcohol, until Barry Marshall and Robin Warren decided to challenge the accepted belief. Through observation and experimentation, they identified H. pylori in patients with gastritis and ulcers. Marshall even went so far as to ingest the bacteria himself to prove their hypothesis. Their bold curiosity completely changed medical understanding and treatment of ulcers, earning them the Nobel Prize in 2005. Their story reminds us that real progress begins with the courage to question. Another powerful example involves the overuse and inappropriate prescription of antibiotics. For decades, antibiotics were routinely prescribed for viral infections such as the common cold, despite clear scientific evidence that these drugs are ineffective against viruses. This practice has significantly contributed to the global health crisis of antibiotic resistance. Critical thinking enables healthcare professionals to differentiate between bacterial and viral infections, understand clinical guidelines in their proper context, and make responsible treatment decisions that balance individual patient care with broader public health concerns.
In medical education, case studies play a particularly powerful role in developing critical thinking. They bridge theory and practice, forcing students to apply knowledge in real-world scenarios. A student might initially diagnose a patient with pneumonia based on a set of symptoms, only to realize after collecting more detailed information that heart failure is the real cause. This ability to reassess, question, and refine one’s conclusions is the essence of critical thinking and the foundation of clinical excellence.
While artificial intelligence and virtual reality provide new tools for education and personalized learning, they must support, not replace, critical human judgment. These technologies can enhance critical thinking by offering diverse perspectives and individualized learning paths, but overreliance on AI-generated content without proper scrutiny can pose new risks. Critical thinking is not just another academic skill, it is a mindset, a habit of mind that defines excellence in science and medicine. By embedding it deeply into medical education and practice, we improve diagnostic accuracy, patient outcomes and the overall quality of healthcare. Most importantly, we nurture a new generation of scientists and clinicians who are reflective, analytical, and responsible. Because in life sciences, as in life itself, true progress does not come from knowing all the answers, it comes from never stopping to ask the right questions.
assoc. prof. Željko Jovanović, MD, PhD
Faculty of Health Studies, University of Rijeka
