single patient case report

by Caitlyn Labadie I 10 min read

How to write a patient case report - OUP Academic

5 hours ago  · The source of case reports is clinical setting, every single patient is a potential case report therefore, always keep an eye on unusual cases in your practice either in the ward or in the clinic. Once a potential case is identified, and the patient is in hospital, follow him through hospitalization until discharge. >> Go To The Portal


A case report is an unsystematic clinical observation that states the outcome or response of a single patient to a diagnostic strategy or treatment. Case reports serve to document and share novel cases amongst the medical community for educational purposes. Q. Is IRB approval required to prepare a clinical case study?

Full Answer

What should be in a patient case report?

Patient case reports are valuable resources of new and unusual information that may lead to vital research and advances in clinical practice that improve patient outcomes. Case reports should contain an abstract and four sections—an introduction, case presentation, discussion, and conclusion.

What is a clinical case report in nursing?

WHAT IS A CLINICAL CASE REPORT? A case report is a detailed report of the symptoms, signs, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of an individual patient. Case reports usually describe an unusual or novel occurrence and as such, remain one of the cornerstones of medical progress and provide many new ideas in medicine.

What is a case report for medical students?

This page is intended for medical students, residents or others who do not have much experience with case reports, but are planning on writing one. What is a case report? A medical case report, also known as a case study, is a detailed description of a clinical encounter with a patient.

How to write a patient case analysis?

Your patient case analysis is an investigation of a medical plight or case. When you present your findings, you have to balance the description of the situation and the detailing of the analyses. You have to illustrate how and why you came to a conclusion by providing the necessary background information.

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What is an individual case report?

An Individual Case Study Report (ICSR) is a safety service document which includes information required for reporting the adverse events and problems related to products and complaints filed by consumers with respect to any product.

How do you write an individual case report?

Case reports should encompass the following five sections: an abstract, an introduction with a literature review, a description of the case report, a discussion that includes a detailed explanation of the literature review, and a brief summary of the case and a conclusion.

How many patients are in a case report?

Subjects in case series and case report Many publishers strongly stick to the count of the patients reported in the study. After the study reports, [1] suggested that a case report contain patients of less than five individuals, whereas a case series can contain four and more patients.

Can you write a medical case report on yourself?

Depending on the institution or publication you're writing for, you may need written consent to include the patient in your report. You can either use a release form provided by your institution, or you can write one yourself.

How do you write a patient medical report?

HOW TO WRITE A MEDICAL REPORTKnow that a common type of medical report is written using SOAP method. ... Assess the patient after observing her problems and symptoms. ... Write the Plan part of the Medical report. ... Note any problems when you write the medical report.More items...

What does a case report include?

A case report is a detailed report of the symptoms, signs, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of an individual patient. Case reports usually describe an unusual or novel occurrence and as such, remain one of the cornerstones of medical progress and provide many new ideas in medicine.

How many patients do you need for a case series?

Conclusions. The concept of “case series” is not well defined in the literature and does not reflect a specific research design. We suggest that a case series should have more than four patients while four paitents or less should be reported individually as case reports.

How do you present a case report?

Case Presentation. The case report should be chronological and detail the history, physical findings, and investigations followed by the patient's course. At this point, you may wish to include more details than you might have time to present, prioritizing the content later.

How many pages should a case report be?

In conclusion, there is no right or wrong in how long a case study should be there is however some guidelines to follow. The recommended number of pages should be somewhere between 5-15. This seems to be an appropriate form to stick to.

Do you need consent for a case report?

Don't publish a case report without the patient's consent As explained above, informed patient consent is mandatory for the publication of your case reports. Ignoring this requirement can result in a rejection for your work and worse, ruin your relationship and reputation with patients.

Can I do a case study on myself?

Using yourself as a case study in your nonfiction book can be a great way to bring your messages to life, especially if your book is about personal development or business advice. When you're sharing a true story of your own, you don't need to gain anyone else's permission to use the material.

Where can I publish a case report for free?

JournalFree accessLanguageAmerican Journal of Case ReportsFree siteEnglishAmerican Journal of Medical Case ReportsFree siteEnglishArchive of Clinical CasesFree siteEnglishAsian Journal of Case Reports in Medicine and HealthFree siteEnglish26 more rows

How many eggs should an 88 year old man eat a day?

Example 1: Normal plasma cholesterol in an 88-year-old man who eats 25 eggs a day. This is the case of an old man with Alzheimer’s disease who has been eating 20-30 eggs every day for almost 15 years. [ Source]

Why is a control group important?

A control group is important to eliminate the role of external factors which can interfere with the relationship between exposure and disease. Unmeasured Confounding caused by variables that influence both the exposure and the disease. A case report can have a powerful emotional effect (see examples of case reports below).

What is an example of recovery from the passage of an iron bar through the head?

This is an interesting case of a construction foreman named Phineas Gage. [ Source] In 1848, due to an explosion at work, an iron bar passed through his head destroying a large portion of his brain’s frontal lobe.

What is a case report?

Case Report: A Beginner’s Guide with Examples. A case report is a descriptive study that documents an unusual clinical phenomenon in a single patient. It describes in details the patient’s history, signs, symptoms, test results, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment.

Why do we need case reports?

Case reports offer, in general a fast, easy and cheap way to report an unusual observation or a rare event in a clinical setting, as these have very small probability of being detected in an experimental study because of limitations on the number of patients that can be included.

Is a case report representative of the entire population?

So, results from a case report cannot be representative of the entire population.

Is a case report causal?

Observing a relationship between an exposure and a disease in a case report does not mean that it is causal in nature. The absence of a control group that provides a benchmark or a point of reference against which we compare our results. A control group is important to eliminate the role of external factors which can interfere with ...

What is required to submit a case report?

Journals often have specific requirements for publishing case reports, which could include a requirement for informed consent, a letter or statement from the IRB and other things.

What should I do after writing a case report?

Once you have written a draft of the case report, you should seek feedback on your writing, from experts in the field if possible, or from those who have written case reports before .

Why is it important to write a case report?

the reason you would go to the trouble of writing one, is that the case is sufficiently unique, rare or interesting such that other medical professionals will learn something from it.

Do I need IRB approval for case reports?

If this is true for your case report, then it most likely does not require IRB approval because it not considered research. If you have more than one patient, your study could qualify as a Case Series, which would require IRB review. If you have questions, you chould check your local IRB's guidelines on reviewing case reports.

Does CHM have funding for publication?

It is best practice to check the journal's Info for Authors section or Author Center to determine what the cost is to publish. CHM does NOT have funds to support publication costs, so this is an important step if you do not want to pay out of pocket for publishing.

Is it free to publish a case report?

Be aware that it may not be free to publish your case report. Many journals charge publication fees. Of note, many open access journals charge author fees of thousands of dollars. Other journals have smaller page charges (i.e. $60 per page), and still others will publish for free, with an "open access option".

Do you need informed consent for a case report?

Although not technically required, especially if the case report does not include any identifying information, some journals require informed consent for all case reports. The CARE guidelines recommend obtaining informed consent AND the patient's perspective on the treatment/outcome (if possible).

What is a patient case study?

Writing Your Patient Case Study. Since patient case studies are generally descriptive, they are under the a phenomenological principle. This means that subjectivity is entertained and allowed in research design. The medical scenarios are open to the researcher’s interpretation and input of insights.

What is a case study?

Case studies are a qualitative research method that offers a complete and in-depth look into some of the situations that baffled medical science. They document the cases that escape the ordinary in a hospital that has seen a manifold of plights. They serve as cautionary tales of the intricacy in dealing with human health.

How do case studies make a difference in the medical arena?

Patient case studies make a difference in the medical arena by reporting clinical interactions that can improve medical practices, suggest new health projects, as well as provide a new research direction. By looking at an event as it exists in the natural setting, case studies shed understanding on a complex medical phenomenon.

Why do medical practitioners use case studies?

Medical practitioners use case studies to examine a medical condition in the context of a research question. They perform research and analyses that adhere to the scientific method of investigation and abide by ethical research protocols. The following are case study samples and guides on case presentation.

Why should you indicate the general scope and limitation of your work?

Because you are studying a case valid only for some people as of the moment, you should indicate the general scope and limitation of your work. The scenario might be different when placed in a different context. You should be honest in reporting the information about your study. Disclose the limits of your findings.

Is a clinical interaction report valid for generalization?

Since it documents stand-out clinical interactions where a single person or a few number of people are a party of, the findings may not be valid for generalization for a wider population.

Can you generalize a population using one case study?

You cannot generalize a population using one case study. However, multiple case study contains two or more cases under the point of interest can give you a replicated result. When the findings remain true for several cases under this research method, your case study’s results become more reliable.

What Is a Case Report?

There is a widespread misconception in business that a case report is a thick, corporate jargon-filled manuscript that experts and professional consultants can only develop. A case report is created for an organization to provide documented justification for the progress of a project or whether it should be undertaken.

Benefits of a Case Report

A case report is a detailed investigation into a specific situation. The research could focus on a single person, a company, an event, or a group. The study entails gathering detailed information about the individual entity using a variety of ways. Two of the most prevalent methods of data analysis are interviews and observation.

Components of a Case Report

As previously indicated, a justification can be used only within the business to secure permission for simple budget or money requests, duties, or specific projects, as well as loans. Explanations usually have the same basic features regardless of the need.

How To Create a Case Study Report

To assist you in arming your prospects with credible information, we’ve created a step-by-step guide on how to develop adequate case studies for your business — as well as free case study templates for you to use. If you’re interested in making one, here are the steps.

What constitutes a case report?

A case report is a research design in which an unexpected or unusual event is recounted in a complete account of a single patient’s findings, clinical course, and prognosis, which may or may not be accompanied by a literature analysis of previously known occurrences.

Are case studies useful?

Case reports are excellent sources of unexpected information that could lead to new research and clinical advancements. Case reports have long been recognized as a valuable source of fresh ideas and information in clinical care, and many publications and medical databases recognize this.

Are case reports supported by evidence?

Case reports are the simplest form of evidence, but they are also the first line of defense because new issues and ideas develop. That’s why they’re at the bottom of our pyramid. The significance of the observation being reported will be evident in a robust case report.

What is a case report?

A case report is a medical/educational activity that does not meet the DHHS definition of “research”, which is: "a systematic investigation, including research development, testing and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge.".

Do journals require an IRB letter?

Background: Many journals now require a letter, or other acknowledgement, from an IRB prior to publication of a case report. Specifically, they wish to know whether IRB approval was obtained or was not required for the described case. The JHM IRBs have adopted a policy to address the following question and answers.

Does a case report have to be approved by the IRB?

Yes. Under HIPAA, a case report is an activity to develop information to be shared for medical/educational purposes. Although the use of protected health information to prepare the paper does not require IRB review, the author of a case report must comply with HIPAA.

What is PHI in healthcare?

This is known as safe harbor de-identification.

What is a case report?

A case report is an unsystematic clinical observation that states the outcome or response of a single patient to a diagnostic strategy or treatment . Case reports serve to document and share novel cases amongst the medical community for educational purposes.

When safe harbor de-identification is not possible or the opportunity to identify the patient exists, even after de-ident

When safe harbor de-identification is not possible or the opportunity to identify the patient exists, even after de-identification, the expert determination method for de-identification can be considered. For purposes of de-identification, an expert is defined as: A person with appropriate knowledge of and experience with generally accepted statistical and scientific principles and methods for rendering information not individually identifiable:

When case reports describe or discuss unique or rare circumstances, as they often do, it may be difficult or impossible to answer

When case reports describe or discuss unique or rare circumstances, as they often do, it may be difficult or impossible to de-identify those cases such that there is no reasonable expectation that the individuals included can be identified, so patient authorization generally would be required.

Is PHI de-identified under HIPAA?

It is important to understand that determining whether data are de-identified under HIPAA is a more restrictive determination than determining whether private information is individually identifiable under the Common Rule. The HIPAA rule considers PHI as any information that may identify an individual; was created or received by a member of a HIPAA covered entity; and relates to the individual's past, present, or future physical/mental health or condition, health care, or payment for health care. HIPAA recognizes two methods for de-identification of data.

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Advantages of Case Reports

  • Case reports offer, in general a fast, easy and cheap way to report an unusual observation or a rare event in a clinical setting, as these have very small probability of being detected in an experimental study because of limitations on the number of patients that can be included. These events deserve to be reported since they might provide insights on some exceptions to general r…
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Limitations of Case Reports

  • Observing a relationship between an exposure and a disease in a case report does not mean that it is causal in nature. This is because of: 1. The absence of a control group that provides a benchmark or a point of reference against which we compare our results. A control group is important to eliminate the role of external factors which can interfere with the relationship betw…
See more on quantifyinghealth.com

Real-World Examples of Case Reports

  • Example 1: Normal plasma cholesterol in an 88-year-old man who eats 25 eggs a day
    This is the case of an old man with Alzheimer’s disease who has been eating 20-30 eggs every day for almost 15 years. [Source] The man had an LDL-cholesterol level of only 142 mg/dL (3.68 mmol/L) and no significant clinical atherosclerosis (deposition of cholesterol in arterial walls)! H…
  • Example 2: Recovery from the passage of an iron bar through the head
    This is an interesting case of a construction foreman named Phineas Gage. [Source] In 1848, due to an explosion at work, an iron bar passed through his head destroying a large portion of his brain’s frontal lobe. He survived the event and the injury only affected 1 thing: His personality! Af…
See more on quantifyinghealth.com

References

  1. Sayre JW, Toklu HZ, Ye F, Mazza J, Yale S. Case Reports, Case Series – From Clinical Practice to Evidence-Based Medicine in Graduate Medical Education. Cureus. 2017;9(8):e1546. Published 2017 Aug 7...
  2. Nissen T, Wynn R. The clinical case report: a review of its merits and limitations. BMC Res Notes. 2014;7:264. Published 2014 Apr 23. doi:10.1186/1756-0500-7-264.
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Further Reading