Why include Case-based Learning in the medical curriculum? – A review

Abstract

Introduction: Clinical teaching is an irreplaceable component of medical education. It takes place through many teaching–learning methodologies in various settings such as the bedside, classrooms, and the community. Case-based Learning is a method which had been devised to fill the gaps seen in bedside teaching where learning is mostly opportunistic. CBL evolves around pre-selected typical cases from an existing collection through small-group discussions.Method: The objective of the study was to identify the positive features of CBL in clinical education. A narrative review was done to search articles on PubMed and Google Scholar between 2018 and 2023. The search terms were ‘case-based learning’ ‘clinical education’ and ‘medical curriculum’.Results: The narrative review identified articles (n=14) relevant to our study. Case-based learning and discussion were seen as an effective and acceptable learning tool by medical students. It helped them to gain clinical reasoning skills which are critical in clinical decision-making and management. Exposure to case-based learning scenarios, allowed them to relate basic sciences to clinical sciences. Students were able to recollect the concepts that they had learnt by correlating them with case scenarios in a stress-free environment enhancing their critical thinking abilities. It promoted collaborative learning skills among students.Conclusion: CBL was perceived as a good learning tool by students. It is possible to combine CBL with other traditional clinical teaching methods such as bedside teaching. The case-based learning approach promotes recapitulating the basic concepts learned, relating them to a clinical scenario that results in the consolidation of the concepts.