Developing Clinical Case Studies: A Guide for Teaching is designed to assist health care practitioners with development of case studies for teaching in continuing medical education (CME) and similar educational situations. The guide uses brief descriptions and examples to lead the reader/educator through the steps of structuring a teaching case to address specific educational objectives. The process for developing interactive case studies for the purpose of teaching includes 6 steps:  | Identify the learners and write educational objectives |  | | Describe the patient and develop sufficient case detail | | | Focus the learner on discrete clinical decision points | | | Present viable options at decision points | | | Analyze options and select one course of action | | | Introduce new information and continue to next clinical decision point | |
A sample case study1 involving a patient with HIV infection and substance abuse is presented throughout the guide to illustrate the case-building process. Case studies are widely used to complement and enliven didactic educational material and they can be adapted for a variety of teaching situations. The example case study used in this guide is presented as a series of slides or overhead transparencies. The case is designed to be presented to a group of learners and to solicit audience response to specific multiple choice questions. Audience response can be obtained through a variety of approaches, including by discussion, by a show of hands, by voting with colored cards, or, if available, through the use of a computerized audience response system. Case studies also can be used in other educational formats to complement didactic information. In a small group setting, a presenter can describe a case without any audiovisual tools and can lead the audience to recommend clinical options for discussion, rather than using structured multiple choice responses. In training workshops, case studies can be used for role-playing activities designed to focus on patient/provider interaction. Self-study educational activities, such as Web-based interactive programs, also effectively use case studies. Problem-based learning, a teaching method that is being more widely used in continuing medical education, involves distributing case studies to learners and having them individually research the relevant clinical information. References| 1. | | Adapted from Friedland GH. HIV therapy in "triple-diagnosed" patients: HIV infection, drug use, and mental illness. Cases on the Web [International AIDS Society-USA online CME series]. 2002. Available at http://www.iasusa.org/cow. Accessed May 15, 2003. | |
Next: The Value of Case Studies |
