Presented By: Larry Nichols, Mercer University School of Medicine
Co-Authors: Lindsey Duke, Mercer University School of Medicine
Alyssa Phillips, Mercer University School of Medicine
Trung Pierre Nguyen, Mercer University School of Medicine

Purpose 
Case-based learning has proven to be an excellent way to integrate basic science and clinical science for educating medical students. It conveys basic science concepts in clinical context, showing students how and why they need the concepts. 

Methods 
This medical education project aimed to create a free online database of 118 digital pathology slides, with the associated clinical history (or an invented one) to teach pathophysiology via a case-based learning format. 

Results 
Each case consists of a clinical history, a digital pathology slide, and a diagnosis with further explanation and written description of the pathology slide. The clinical history and the digital pathology slide can be studied by themselves or in tandem with the other components of the case. In some cases, the clinical history is presented in progressive disclosure with questions and answers embedded. Those cases are formatted such that the reader is encouraged to consider one segment of that case at a time, building skill in clinical reasoning. Additionally, some digital slides are annotated with descriptions of the diagnostic histopathologic features. The slides are hosted by a digital pathology company in Europe: my.pathomation.com/share/slidebox/mercer. The clinical history and diagnosis with discussion are in separate documents located on the website Pathology and Clinical Science: https://nicholspathologyeducation.wordpress.com/. The features of the cases are illustrated by case 7, A 60-year-old man with a heart transplant, who fell and hit his head. 

Conclusions 
The slides and the associated histories and diagnoses are freely accessible anywhere, anytime to medical educators for teaching and to medical students for self-directed learning.