Evaluation of MicroSage: A Web-Based Clinical Reasoning Support Tool for Microbiology Education in Resource-Limited Settings - A Pilot Observational Study

Evaluation of MicroSage: A Web-Based Clinical Reasoning Support Tool for Microbiology Education in Resource-Limited Settings - A Pilot Observational Study | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Evaluation of MicroSage: A Web-Based Clinical Reasoning Support Tool for Microbiology Education in Resource-Limited Settings - A Pilot Observational Study Vighnesh Samal This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9247958/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background: Clinical microbiology education traditionally presents organisms in isolation, without training students to reason from observable findings — such as gram stain results, infection site, patient age, and symptoms — toward a differential diagnosis. This gap leaves students underprepared for clinical laboratory reasoning. Objective: To evaluate the accuracy, usability, and educational utility of MicroSage, a freely accessible web-based educational clinical reasoning support tool designed to bridge the gap between instructive microbiology education and applied clinical reasoning. Methods: MicroSage was developed using a React frontend and Python FastAPI backend, incorporating a weighted multi-parameter scoring engine across 30 clinically relevant organisms and 6 infection sites. A cross-sectional validation study was conducted among undergraduate students, academic faculty (LifeScience department), and clinical laboratory professionals in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. Results: A total of 40 participants were included. MicroSage achieved a primary accuracy of 77.5%, with all remaining cases demonstrating partial accuracy within the top three results. Conclusion: MicroSage represents a low-cost, accessible solution for microbiology education that supports clinical reasoning skill development. The tool is freely available at microsage.vercel.app and requires no installation. General Microbiology Infectious Diseases microbiology education clinical reasoning differential diagnosis pilot study educational intervention gram stain interpretation web-based educational tool resource-limited settings Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. All participants provided verbal informed consent prior to participation in the study. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9247958","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":613511304,"identity":"9efb9ae7-ecce-438f-abf1-8964b697b3a7","order_by":0,"name":"Vighnesh 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