COGNITIVE VISUALIZATION AS A TOOL FOR DEVELOPING CLINICAL THINKING IN BIOCHEMISTRY EDUCATION

The paper addresses the gap between fundamental biochemical knowledge and the ability of medical students to apply it in a clinical context. A methodological model based on the stepwise construction of metabolic maps as a tool for cognitive visualization is proposed. The educational process includes three interconnected stages: analytical deconstruction of a scheme, reconstruction of a partially specified model, and clinical mapping of pathogenesis. Practical implementation is demonstrated using the topic “Glycogen storage diseases” (case study: Von Gierke disease). In the experimental group, 85.7% of students successfully completed the task, compared to 52.4% in the control group. The differences were statistically significant (p = 0.043; RR = 1.64; 95% CI: 1.05–2.55). The findings indicate that the active use of cognitive visualization contributes significantly to the development of pathogenetic analysis skills.