Patient-Centered Team-Based Learning in Pre-Clinical Curriculum Supporting the Application of Knowledge to Real-World Clinical Experience

Abstract

We report an active learning session which effectively supported 1st year medical students applying their learning experience in a clinical setting. A team-based learning (TBL) on familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) with a live patient was given to deliver basic genetics knowledge in a clinically relevant context. Subsequently, two participating students applied their learning experience by presenting a differential diagnosis of homozygous FH in a patient at a medical mission in Central America. We propose that combining active learning with clinically relevant scenarios effectively fosters student's clinical reasoning skills and can bridge the perceived gap between basic science and clinical education.

Keywords: Basic science curriculum; Familial hypercholesterolemia; Medical mission; Patient-centered case; Team-based learning; Undergraduate medical education.

Fig. 1

Putative xanthomas on the knee (a) and elbow (b) in a 5-year-old girl RP and JV encountered in Honduras. The child presented with putative tuberous xanthomas suggesting a hypercholesterolemic state. The most common genetic diseases associated with tuberous xanthomas are familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) [16] and familial combined hyperlipidemia (FCHL) [23]