The Physiopedia Clinical Case Simulator is a clinical reasoning practice tool on Physiopedia Plus, powered by the Physiopedia AI Assistant (PAI). You choose a physiotherapy specialty area and difficulty level. PAI generates a simulated case. You take a history, examine the patient, reason towards a diagnosis and plan management. PAI gives personalised feedback.
How do I start a case?
To start a case in the Physiopedia Clinical Case Simulator:
1. Log in to your Physiopedia Plus account.
2. Go to Resources – Clinical Case Simulator.
3. Choose your clinical specialty area and difficulty level.
4. Click the Generate button.
5. Click the Start clinical case button on the generated case block.
6. Follow PAI’s guidance.
How is the case organised?
A case in the Physiopedia Clinical Case Simulator runs through three phases: assessment, reasoning and management. PAI will guide you through the phases, and will give you feedback with your clinical strengths, the competencies under test, and your development priorities.
How should I phrase my questions to the simulator?
When you interact with the Physiopedia Clinical Case Simulator, ask in the detail you would use with a colleague. “What did you find on lumbar AROM?” gets you further than “examine the back”.
Who is the Physiopedia Clinical Case Simulator for?
The simulator is designed for four types of users: physiotherapy students, new graduates, experienced clinicians, educators and clinical supervisors.
Which specialty areas does the Physiopedia Clinical Case Simulator cover?
The Physiopedia Clinical Case Simulator covers 20 physiotherapy specialty areas:
- Cardiorespiratory
- Chronic Pain / Pain Management
- Critical Care
- Geriatrics
- Integumentary
- Men’s Health
- Mental Health
- Musculoskeletal – Head
- Musculoskeletal – Lower Limb
- Musculoskeletal – Spine
- Musculoskeletal – Upper Limb
- Neurology
- Occupational Health
- Oncology
- Paediatrics
- Prosthetics & Orthotics
- Rheumatology
- Sports
- Vestibular Rehabilitation
- Women’s Health
Which difficulty level should I choose in the Physiopedia Clinical Case Simulator?
The simulator offers three difficulty levels. Choose beginner for a clear presentation with few competing possibilities. Choose intermediate where the presentation is less obvious. Choose advanced where you will need to carry more than one hypothesis through the case and justify ruling each one in or out.
How long does a case take?
Most cases in the Physiopedia Clinical Case Simulator take 20-40 minutes. However, the cases are entirely flexible, so you can stop anytime and still receive feedback on your progress.
Does the simulator use real patient data?
No. Every patient, history, examination finding and outcome measure in the Physiopedia Clinical Case Simulator is simulated for practice purposes, and no real patient records are used to generate cases.
Why won’t the Physiopedia Clinical Case Simulator answer some of my questions?
The clinical case simulator withholds answers by design, and this is not a fault. Asking for the diagnosis, or for a finding you have not yet examined for, returns the question to you.
Can I stop a case in the Physiopedia Clinical Case Simulator and come back to it?
Yes. You can end a case in the simulator at any point. You can go back to the case using the PAI Search feature, described in How do I use the History and Search features of the Physiopedia AI Assistant?
Will I get the same case twice?
No. The Physiopedia Clinical Case Simulator generates every case from scratch, so one specialty area and difficulty level will not produce an identical patient twice.
What is the Physiopedia Clinical Case Simulator not intended for?
The clinical case simulator is not intended to replace supervised clinical training. The simulator sits alongside supervised clinical practice rather than standing in for it, and anything you carry from a case into your work requires your own professional judgement.
I cannot use the Physiopedia Clinical Case Simulator in my account
Access to the Clinical Case Simulator is limited to Physiopedia Plus Full and Pro members. If you are a trial member, you have access for 7 days.
Something in a case seems wrong. What should I do?
Report possible problems using the PAI feedback option, described in How do I use the Feedback feature of the Physiopedia AI Assistant?, or using the Give Feedback button on the Clinical Case Simulator page. Naming the specific finding or reasoning step will help us.
Are my Physiopedia Clinical Case Simulator interactions saved in my activity log?
Yes. All your clinical cases are recorded in your activity log.