Questionnaire and assessment of diagnoses
The questionnaire contained 63 items. After providing informed consent, students were instructed to use first the CDSS (groups A and C) or, alternatively, conventional methods (groups B and D) to make a diagnosis based on the paper case. Subsequently, participants provided up to three diagnoses, each accompanied by an indication of how confident the students felt in view of their own diagnoses (0–100% for the conventional case solving or “_ of 10” to “_ of 1,000” patients based on the CDSS output). The same case description was provided a second time with the instruction to use conventional methods (groups A and C) or the CDSS (groups B and D), i.e., those methods not used in the first run. Again, participants could indicate up to three diagnoses along with the corresponding assessment of trust in their own diagnoses. When students had to use conventional methods students had to indicate which resources they frequented. Sociodemographic information concluded the online questionnaire with questions on age, sex, semester of study, and prior medical experience, as well as a question asking for further comments.Three external consultants in general medicine, internal medicine, and otorhinolaryngology assessed accuracy of the diagnoses suggested by students. Each expert was given all diagnoses for both cases (