Management of critically sick, general surgical patients can be challenging. Doctors must assess the patient in a timely manner to decide on the most likely diagnosis to offer them prompt treatment to save lives. Initial choice of treatment can be crucial in the management of critically ill patients. There are a wide range of investigations available to help doctors reach the correct diagnosis, however there are pros and cons and risks with each test offered and it can be difficult to decide on which investigation is the best one for your patient at that time. There is no one correct way to manage a sick general surgical patient. However, consequence of making a wrong choice may cost patient’s life. Decision making is an important skill to master. Exposure to the variety of emergency surgical conditions during their General Surgical attachment is unpredictable and may be limited depending on the case mix availability.

The project objective was to produce an interactive learning platform to allow students to manage a critically sick e-patient to enhance student’s deeper learning and promote higher order learning. We have included relevant clinical images and video to improve their understanding of different special investigations available. It allows students to learn important elements of managing critically sick surgical patients but also allows them to appreciate the consequence of their decision without harming real patients. We chose three important classical emergency surgical scenarios: acutely painful leg, acute abdominal pain and gastrointestinal bleed.

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