Workflow: Preparing a Cardiology Teaching Case

Preparing a teaching case for trainees or a departmental meeting takes more time than presenting it. An AI tool can compress the structural and writing work. This workflow shows you how.

1. Choose a case with a clear learning objective

   A good teaching case has a specific educational point. Before opening the tool, write down one sentence: what should the learner understand after this case that they did not before? For example: "How to approach a new diagnosis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction in an elderly patient who presents atypically." That sentence guides every subsequent step.

2. Write an anonymised case summary

   Prepare a brief, anonymised summary of the case: presenting complaint, relevant history, examination findings, investigations, working diagnosis, and management. Use age range rather than exact age. Remove all identifying details. This is your source material for the tool.

3. Open the tool and define the session format

   Open your AI tool and type: "I am preparing a cardiology teaching case for junior doctors. I will give you an anonymised clinical summary. Organise it into a teaching case presentation with the following structure: Presenting Complaint, History, Examination Findings, Investigations (presented as 'what would you request?'), Diagnosis and Reasoning, Management, Learning Points. Present investigations as a question for learners before revealing the answer."

4. Provide the anonymised case summary

   Paste your case summary. The tool will produce a structured teaching case. Review it for accuracy and structure.

5. Add electrocardiogram and imaging descriptions yourself

   If the case involves a key electrocardiogram (ECG), echocardiogram, or imaging finding, write the description yourself or paste the report text (anonymised). The tool can incorporate these into the case structure, but it cannot generate accurate clinical findings from a description it has not been given. Clinical findings in a teaching case must be accurate — errors teach the wrong lesson.

6. Ask the tool to generate learner questions

   Once the case structure is correct, ask: "Generate five questions a cardiology trainee might ask about this case, and suggest a brief answer to each." Review these questions. Remove any that are clinically inaccurate or outside the scope of your teaching session. Add questions you know your trainees typically struggle with.

7. Ask for a brief summary of the key learning points

   Ask the tool: "Write a concise summary of the three main learning points from this case in plain English, suitable for a slide or whiteboard." Use these as the close of your session. Check that they accurately reflect the educational objectives you identified at the start.

8. Build your slides or handout from the structured case

   Copy the structured case into your presentation software or document. Add images — ECGs, echocardiography clips, imaging — following your institution's image consent and confidentiality guidance. The tool has produced the text structure. The visual content and the clinical teaching are yours.

What this means for you

A teaching case that is well-structured takes the same clinical knowledge and presents it more effectively. Trainees follow the case more easily, ask better questions, and retain the learning point longer. The tool helps you produce that structure without spending an hour on the formatting. Your clinical experience and teaching skill make it valuable.

When not to use this workflow

Do not use this workflow for a case on a topic where your own knowledge is uncertain, or where the clinical details are complex enough that you would not be confident answering every trainee question without preparation. The tool structures your knowledge — it does not substitute for it.

Remember: AI is a helpful assistant, not a clinician. You make the call.