Workflow: Preparing an Orthopaedic Teaching Case

Preparing a teaching case takes longer than presenting one. Most of the time goes into structuring the narrative and finding the right words for the learning points. An AI tool compresses that work.

1. Define the single learning objective before you start

   Write one sentence: what should the learner understand after this case that they did not before? For example: "How to distinguish degenerative from inflammatory arthritis on clinical and radiological grounds in a middle-aged patient." That sentence guides every subsequent step and keeps the teaching focused.

2. Write an anonymised case summary

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

3. Open the tool and specify the teaching format

   Open your AI tool and type: "I am preparing an orthopaedic teaching case for trainee surgeons. I will give you an anonymised clinical summary. Organise it into a teaching case with the following structure: Presenting Complaint, History, Examination, Investigations (present as a question to learners: 'What would you request and why?'), Diagnosis and Reasoning, Management, Learning Points. Present investigations as a question before the answer."

4. Provide the anonymised case summary

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

5. Add imaging findings and clinical images yourself

   If the case involves an X-ray, MRI, or CT finding that is central to the teaching point, write the finding description yourself or add it to the tool's framework. For a teaching case, the imaging description needs to be accurate and specific — "AP and lateral knee X-ray showing medial joint space narrowing to 2mm, varus alignment, subchondral sclerosis, no effusion" is more useful than a general description. The tool can help with the surrounding text once you have added the specific finding.

6. Generate trainee questions

   Ask the tool: "Generate five questions a trainee surgeon in their second year of orthopaedic training might ask about this case. Include one question about the imaging, one about the differential diagnosis, and one about the operative decision-making." Review and filter the questions against your learning objective. Add any questions you know your trainees typically find difficult.

7. Draft the learning points summary

   Ask the tool: "Write the three key learning points from this case as concise statements, suitable for a whiteboard or final slide." Check these against the learning objective you wrote in Step 1. If the learning points do not match the objective, ask the tool to revise.

8. Build the teaching session from the structured case

   Copy the structured case into your presentation software or handout template. Add imaging — X-rays, MRI images, photographs — following your institution's guidance on patient confidentiality and image consent. The tool has produced the text framework. The imaging, the clinical teaching, and the discussion are yours.

What this means for you

A well-structured teaching case presents the same clinical knowledge more effectively. Trainees follow the case narrative more easily, engage better with the clinical questions, and retain the key teaching points. The tool reduces the time you spend on structure and language. Your clinical experience makes the case worth teaching.

When not to use this workflow

Do not use this approach for a case where you are uncertain about the clinical content yourself. The tool structures what you give it — it does not fill gaps in clinical knowledge. A case you are not confident presenting is one to prepare with a colleague, not with a drafting tool.

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