How to Write a Case Report

Abstract

Case reports are an important starting point for academic writing and for producing new, interesting, and educational information for the field. They usually describe a unique syndrome or disease, an unexpected relationship between relatively uncommon diseases or symptoms, unique or rare events or outcomes in describing a disease, or a unique therapeutic approach to an illness. Authors should not write a case report simply for the sake of writing. Rather, the case report must help improve understanding of a disease or improve therapy. Thus, detailed preparation is crucial, including a thorough literature search about the disease, treatment, and outcomes. A single outlying case or freak episode may unintentionally negatively influence some clinical practice. Hence, authors must remember that there is a great professional responsibility in providing a case report. Patient privacy must be preserved. All identifying information should be omitted unless essential for scientific purposes, and informed consent is often required. The structure of the case report should include the Title/Title page; Abstract (summary of the case) [only if required by the journal]; Introduction (purpose, worthiness of the case, based on references); Case Description (most salient parts of the case and its outcome); Discussion (presents the broad view of the case, its uniqueness, and contribution to the literature); Acknowledgements; and References.