Twelve tips for presenting a clinical problem solving exercise

Abstract

Background: Lectures are moderately effective for teaching medical knowledge but generally fail at promoting clinical reasoning. In a clinical problem solving (CPS) conference, a clinician is presented an unknown medical case in a stepwise fashion. These popular conferences highlight clinical reasoning and foster active learning to a greater degree than lecture-based education.

Aim: In the absence of literature which addresses the organization of these conferences, we present a guide for the teacher (case presenter) to maximize the session's educational value.

Methods: Practical issues for case selection, preparation, and presentation are addressed. The predominant theme is to retain an emphasis on real-time reasoning and to minimize the artificial nature of solving an unknown case from presented material rather than a live patient.

Conclusions: The successful execution of the CPS engages both the audience and the discussant in real-time problem solving and relies upon the tenants of experiential learning and clinical reasoning rather than the traditional structure of the medical case presentation.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Gurpreet Dhaliwal

GURPREET DHALIWAL, MD is Internal Medicine Clerkship Site Director at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center in San Francisco, California. He is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco.

Bradley A. Sharpe

BRADLEY SHARPE, MD is an Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency and the Associate Division Chief of Hospital Medicine at the University of California San Francisco, where he is also an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine.