Aquifer Clinical Excellence Case Sets

The 52 cases in Aquifer’s Clinical Excellence Case Sets deliver focused, in-depth teaching on important but often overlooked or difficult-to-teach topics that don’t have an obvious place in many programs’ curricula.

Overview

The Clinical Excellence Case Sets foster self-directed and independent study, develop clinical problem-solving skills, and teach an evidence-based, patient-centered approach to patient care. The 52 short cases cover principles and applications of key interdisciplinary topics critical to providing excellent patient care, including Palliative Care, Trauma-Informed Care, High Value Care, Diagnostic Excellence, Social Determinants of Health, and Telemedicine.

Key Features
1. Created for educators, by educators, to cover key topics
2. Available for institutional subscription or for direct purchase by individual subscribers
3. Streamlined case structure, delivering shorter, more focused principles and applications cases. Cases take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete.
4. Appropriate to support pre-clinical or clinical learning.
5. Proven pedagogy that standardizes experiences—overcoming geography, seasonality, and accessibility
6. Evidence-based, peer-reviewed, and continuously updated content
7. Self-assessment questions emphasize key content and enable students to test their knowledge and skills
8. A wealth of source material, tools, and full references in each case
9. Delivered via the Aqueduct learning management system, which includes user management options, easy reporting on student progress and course usage, plus tools for creating custom courses to match a specific curriculum
Course and Case Structure

The Clinical Excellence Case Sets follow a streamlined course and case structure, delivering shorter, more focused cases. Cases take approximately 15-20 minutes to complete.

Each case set begins with a principles module, which covers key definitions, epidemiology, explanations of key principles and why they are important for patient care, and a harm statement that makes it explicit what harm can come to the patient if the principle is not incorporated into practice.

After completing the principles module, students unlock additional application cases that explore realistic case scenarios. Application cases are concise and focus on one area of a patient encounter, and are centered around asking students to make important clinical decisions. Content models evidence-based best practices and communication strategies, exploring the real-world impacts on care and potential harm. At the end of each case, a reflection question asks the students to consider key takeaways, implications for their future practice, or personal wellness. Each application case also includes self-assessment questions that extend the learning to other scenarios.
Curriculum Integration

Aquifer Clinical Excellence Case Sets are designed for any level student in a medical school or health professions program.

Cases can be used to introduce principles and applications for pre-clinical students, reinforce concepts during relevant clerkships and electives, build capstone courses, and support rotations in a variety of clinical settings.

Combined with the brief just-in-time teaching on these topics included in many of Aquifer’s Signature courses, educators can be certain that learners have consistent, evidence-based coverage without adding significant faculty or learner time.
Case List

Clinical Excellence Case Sets

Palliative Care

Telemedicine

Diagnostic Excellence

Trauma-Informed Care

High-Value Care

Social Determinants of Health

Aquifer Clinical Excellence Course Board

Heather Harrell, MD, FACP
Editor in Chief

Heather Harrell, MD, FACP

Course Board: Aquifer Clinical Excellence

Role: Editor in Chief

Institution: University of Florida

Institutional Title: Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean of Medical Education

Lauren Azevedo, DO, MS, FAAP
Associate Editor

Lauren Azevedo, DO, MS, FAAP

Course Board: Aquifer Clinical Excellence
Role: Associate Editor

Institution: Michigan State University
College of Osteopathic Medicine
Institutional Title: Assistant Dean

Kelsey Dougherty, MMSc, PA-C
Associate Editor

Kelsey Dougherty, MMSc, PA-C

Course Board: Aquifer Pediatrics
Role: Associate Editor

Institution: University of Colorado Child Health Associate/Physician Assistant Program (CHAPA)

Institutional Title: Assistant Professor

Patricia Griffith, PhD, CRNP, ACNP-BC
Associate Editor

Patricia Griffith, PhD, CRNP, ACNP-BC

Course Board: Aquifer Clinical Excellence
Role: Associate Editor

Institution: University of Pennsylvania

Institutional Title: Practice Associate Professor, Associate Director AGACNP Program

Jennifer Grumet, MD
Associate Editor

Jennifer Grumet, MD

Course Board: Aquifer Clinical Excellence
Role: Associate Editor

Institution: Chapman University / PA Studies Program

Institutional Title: Clinical Associate Professor, Director of Admissions, Assistant Clinical Coordinator

Nivedita Gunturi, MD
Associate Editor

Nivedita Gunturi, MD

Course Board: Aquifer Clinical Excellence
Role: Associate Editor

Institution: Rush University Medical Center

Institutional Title: Assistant Program Director, Assistant Professor

Kathryn Holliday, DNP, CPNP- PC, CNE, CHSE
Associate Editor

Kathryn Holliday, DNP, CPNP- PC, CNE, CHSE

Course Board: Aquifer Clinical Excellence
Role: Associate Editor

Institution: SUNY Upstate Medical University, College of Nursing

Institutional Title: Clinical Assistant Professor

Kate LaPorta, MHS, PA-C
Associate Editor

Kate LaPorta, MHS, PA-C

Course Board: Aquifer Clinical Excellence
Role: Associate Editor

Institution: University of Colorado CHA/PA Program

Institutional Title: Assistant Professor

Townes R. Leigh, Jr., DO, CAQSM, FAAFP
Associate Editor

Townes R. Leigh, Jr., DO, CAQSM, FAAFP

Course Board: Aquifer Clinical Excellence
Role: Associate Editor

Institution: Sam Houston State University College of Osteopathic Medicine

Institutional Title: Assistant Professor of Family Medicine/Sports Medicine, Program Director SHREC Sports Medicine Fellowship

Juan Lessing, MD
Associate Editor

Juan Lessing, MD

Current Role: Associate Editor

Course Board: Aquifer Clinical Excellence

Institution: University of Colorado School of Medicine

Institutional Title: Associate Professor, Medicine-Hospital Medicine

J'Aimee Lippert, DO
Associate Editor

J'Aimee Lippert, DO

Course Board: Aquifer Clinical Excellence

Role: Associate Editor

Institution: Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine

Institutional Title: Associate Dean of Admissions and Student Affairs

Jamie Macklin, MD, MPH
Associate Editor

Jamie Macklin, MD, MPH

Course Board: Aquifer Clinical Excellence
Role: Associate Editor

Institution: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

Institutional Title: Associate Medical Director of Medicine

Khiet Ngo, DO, MS
Associate Editor

Khiet Ngo, DO, MS

Course Board: Aquifer Clinical Excellence
Role: Associate Editor

Institution: University of California Riverside School of Medicine

Institutional Title: Associate Dean for Clinical Skills Education & Innovation

Amit Pahwa, MD
Associate Editor

Amit Pahwa, MD

Course Board: Aquifer Clinical Excellence
Role: Associate Editor

Institution: John Hopkins University School of Medicine
Institutional Title: Associate Professor of Medicine
Institutional Role: Director, Internal Medicine Sub-Internship

Rex Alvin D. Paulino, MD, AGSF
Associate Editor

Rex Alvin D. Paulino, MD, AGSF

Course Board: Aquifer Clinical Excellence
Role: Associate Editor

Institution: Joan and Stanford Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine
University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston

Institutional Title: Associate Professor

Manajyoti Yadav, MD, FACP, FRCP
Associate Editor

Manajyoti Yadav, MD, FACP, FRCP

Course Board: Aquifer Clinical Excellence
Role: Associate Editor

Institution: University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria

Institutional Title: Clerkship Director

Aquifer Clinical Excellence Case Sets

Overview