Purpose: Advanced methodical learning and optimised learning leads to better-trained doctors. Such teaching typically comprises the illustration of features and access to facilities. This article explores the role of “Special clinics” in medical education. The role of sophisticated “Special clinics” is to provide vigour and vibrancy in treating and teaching as well as advancing the art and science of medicine. All this contributes towards the current evidence indicating benefits of reducing hospitalization.
Methods: This article comprises an analysis of the guidance produced by leading medical education institutions. Findings are presented in the perspective of a relevant theoretical framework around “Special clinics”, in light of the available evidence and personal experience.
Results: The implementation and potential impacts of “Special clinics” are presented within the context of the “ 4SAs”, a favoured teaching mnemonic: 1) Scientific Approach: medical education rules and regulations reflecting scientific reasoning in support of “Special clinics”, 2) Setting Advantages: the mechanisms by which “Special clinics” are conducive to and contribute towards increasing the capacity to comprehensively treat complex disorders in the outpatient setting, avoiding hospitalization and its associated risks, as well as expenditure, 3) Sophistication Advantages: tools and techniques to ensure advanced clinical skills teaching including novel outpatient technologies, understanding the need for focussed study and practice, and exploiting the advantages of internationalization of medical education, and 4) Successes and Advancements: opportunities to observe experts providing specialist care of the highest standard. The use of a focussed approach aims to explore and advance frontiers of medical education.
Conclusion: “Special clinics” will soon form a major component of the hospital workload and play a crucial role in medical education. They provide the advantage of condition-specific patient-centered care, the motivation for excellence. Clinical skills learnt by medical students in “Special clinics” will undoubtedly contribute to long-term improvements in the medical care.
Keywords: medical education, competency, outpatient clinics, communication skills, case-based learning, patient-centered care