Development of a Case-Based Learning Framework for Medical Education: A Scoping Review

Case-based learning (CBL) is widely used educational strategy in medical education for assessing students' knowledge and clinical skills. Despite its benefits, there is an ongoing debate regarding best practices for developing cases. This study aims to synthesize current literature on CBL to develop a framework to support the creation of cases for theoretical and clinical courses. A scoping review, guided by the Arksey and O'Malley framework was conducted. Searches were conducted across five databases (CINAHL, ERIC, Scopus, and Google Scholar), and studies were included if they focused on CBL in health professions education. Thirty-five articles were in included in the final review. The included studies covered a range of disciplines, including medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, speech-language pathology, and interprofessional education. Studies were primarily from high-income countries with limited representation from low- and middle-income countries. A framework for CBL was developed encompassing five core components: content, structure, attributes and strategies, process and strategies, and outcomes. The proposed model facilitates student engagement, fosters reflective practice, and incorporates technological innovation to enhance learning. This framework offers practical guidance for educators in medical education seeking to design, adapt, and implement CBL approaches that are aligned with competency-based medical education. Future research may want to explore the application of CBL in the development of video simulated cases.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-025-02583-6.