Twelve tips for presenting a clinical problem solving exercise

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.