• The quality of a clinical reasoning process depends on the quality of the knowledge it operates on; case, knowledge and regulation together determine the quality of the result. • Knowledge networks...

• The quality of a clinical reasoning process depends on the quality of the knowledge it operates on; case, knowledge and regulation together determine the quality of the result.

• Knowledge networks are transformed into illness scripts as a consequence of dealing with real or simulated patients.

• Encapsulating concepts integrate biomedical and clinical knowledge; to play their role in the communication with colleagues, they need to have a shared meaning.

• Illness scripts are powerful cognitive structures that allow automatic processing; their validity deserves continuous attention.