The problems present themselves with ever-changing goals, contexts, contents, obstacles, and unknowns which influence how each problem should be approached. Objectives guide and delimit the discussion. This is normal. The health care student tutorial group may begin with the patient's presenting situation and proceed to take a medical history, perform a physical examination of the patient, and order diagnostic tests, as appropriate. It is often useful to assign someone to handle the data.
Student groups list what they know about the scenario.
Each time they ask a question or make a suggestion, it will be a result of some unspoken hypothesis. The facilitator assists the group in probing for the hypothesis and ensures that it is recorded. The inquiry process that leads to the problem statement is incremental and circular. There is no magic formula. However, it will involve asking questions, observing, probing, examining, experimenting.