Clinical problem solving (CPS) as a teaching strategy: a 'dual teacher' approach

A desire to take a 'problem-solving' approach to clinical teaching, combined with a lack of resources for a 'standard' problem-based learning (PBL) approach prompted the authors to develop a new teaching strategy that builds on the ideas of others and which they call clinical-problem solving (CPS). In this paper, they describe the CPS approach, its perceived strengths and weaknesses, and their experience with it to date. They believe that CPS provides a dynamic learning environment and one that can be adapted to a variety of settings. Perhaps its greatest attribute is its ability to provide a problem-solving approach to learning while requiring far fewer resources than PBL. For example, course material that would have required 300 hours of tutor time in PBL now requires 18 hours of teacher time. CPS also saves on student time and classroom space. The authors consider it to be complementary to, rather than a substitute for, PBL.