case study template medicine

Medical Case Study Template

Utilize our Medical Case Study Template for systematic documentation and analysis of patient cases, enhancing learning and clinical practice.

By Emma Hainsworth on Apr 08, 2024.

Fact Checked by Ericka Pingol.

What is a Medical Case Study Template?

A Medical Case Study Template is a systematic tool used primarily by healthcare professionals and students to document, analyze, and present individual patient cases. It serves as a structured guide, ensuring that all critical aspects of the case are captured and discussed in a standardized format. This includes patient information, clinical history, diagnostic assessments, treatments, and outcomes.

The template typically starts with a title and a brief abstract summarizing the case. It progresses through detailed sections covering patient demographics, symptoms, examination findings, and the results of any diagnostic tests. Treatment plans and their outcomes are also meticulously documented.

One of the key purposes of this template is educational. It facilitates learning by providing a comprehensive overview of real-life clinical scenarios, encouraging critical thinking and analysis. It's also used in medical research and literature to share clinical experiences and insights, contributing to the broader medical community's understanding of various conditions and treatments.

Using a Medical Case Study Template ensures a thorough and uniform approach to case documentation, which is essential for effective learning, discussion, and advancement in medical practice. It emphasizes the importance of detail and accuracy in clinical reporting, enhancing both educational value and patient care.

Printable Medical Case Study Template

Download this Medical Case Study Template used primarily by healthcare professionals and students to document, analyze, and present individual patient cases.

How does it work?

Here's a step-by-step guide to accessing and using our Medical case study template:

Step 1: Access and download the Medical Case Study Template

Click the link on this page to download and access the Medical Case Study Template. The template is available in a user-friendly PDF format, allowing for easy digital viewing and interaction.

You can print the template if a physical copy is preferred for note-taking or group discussions. This is especially useful in educational settings or during team meetings.

Step 2: Understand the structure of the template

Review the template to understand its various sections, which include patient information, clinical history, diagnosis, treatment, and outcome.

Note the specific details required in each section, such as demographic data, symptoms, test results, and follow-up care. Understanding these components is crucial for consistency and comprehensiveness in case documentation.

Step 3: Utilize the template for case documentation

Use the template to systematically record all relevant details of a patient case. This might be for educational purposes, research, or clinical documentation.

Regularly update the template with new information or follow-up details. This is important for tracking the case's progression and observing treatments' effectiveness.

Keep in mind that each patient case is unique. The template should be adaptable to accommodate the specificities of different medical scenarios.

Step 4: Review and share the documented case

Use the documented case for peer discussions, educational sessions, or team reviews. The structured format of the template facilitates easy sharing and collaborative analysis.

Encourage feedback on the documented case to enhance learning and improve clinical practices. The template can be a tool for reflective practice and continuous professional development.

By following these steps, healthcare professionals, educators, and students can effectively use the Medical Case Study Template for a range of purposes. This resource is invaluable for documenting individual cases and as a tool for education, research, and collaborative learning in the medical field.

Medical Case Study Example (sample)

We have provided a comprehensive example as a downloadable PDF to help users effectively utilize the Medical Case Study Template. This sample case study is a practical guide, demonstrating how to document and analyze a clinical case in a structured and detailed manner. It is especially useful for medical professionals, educators, and students in the healthcare field.

The Medical Case Study PDF Example, readily available for download and review, showcases the practical application of the case study template in a real-world clinical setting. The example features a case study highlighting how to systematically record patient information, clinical history, diagnostic assessments, treatment plans, and outcomes.

You can access this valuable resource by either previewing the sample provided below or clicking the "Download Example PDF" button. 

Download this Medical Case Study Template example:

When would you use this Template?

The Medical Case Study Template is an invaluable resource primarily used by healthcare professionals, medical students, and educators in various clinical and educational settings. Its application is particularly relevant and beneficial in several key scenarios.

Clinical education and training

Medical educators often use this template to teach students about real-life medical cases. It provides a structured approach to case analysis, encouraging students to examine all aspects of patient care, from diagnosis to treatment and follow-up. This methodical approach is crucial in developing critical thinking and diagnostic skills.

Peer learning and discussion

The template is used among healthcare professionals as a basis for case discussions, often in grand rounds or peer review meetings. It allows practitioners to present complex cases to colleagues, fostering collaborative analysis and discussion. This shared learning experience can lead to improved patient care strategies and a deeper understanding of rare or challenging cases.

Research and case reporting

When documenting unique or particularly instructive cases for medical research or publication, the Medical Case Study Template provides a comprehensive format. It ensures that all relevant details are systematically presented, making the case valuable for the wider medical community. This is especially important when contributing to medical journals or databases.

Quality improvement initiatives

In quality assurance and improvement activities within healthcare settings, this template can be used to analyze cases that highlight systemic issues or successes. It aids in identifying areas for improvement in patient care processes and protocols.

Personal professional development

For individual healthcare practitioners, the template serves as a tool for reflecting on challenging cases, allowing for self-assessment and continuous professional development.

Benefits of using this template ? 

Using a Medical Case Study Template offers several significant benefits:

• Standardized documentation: The template provides a uniform structure for documenting patient cases. This standardization is crucial for ensuring that all relevant details are consistently recorded and easy to find, which is particularly beneficial when multiple healthcare professionals review cases.
• Enhanced educational value: For medical students and trainees, the template is an educational tool that promotes a thorough understanding of clinical cases. It encourages a holistic view of patient care, encompassing diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up, and helps in developing critical thinking and analytical skills.
• Improved communication: When discussing patient cases with peers or in academic settings, the template aids in clear and concise communication. It ensures that all necessary information is presented in an organized manner, facilitating better understanding and discussion among medical professionals.
• Quality of care and patient safety: By systematically documenting and reviewing patient cases, healthcare providers can identify trends, successes, and areas for improvement in treatment protocols. This can lead to enhanced patient safety and overall quality of care.
• Facilitates research and publication: The template is invaluable for practitioners looking to publish case reports in medical journals. It ensures that the case is documented in a comprehensive and systematic manner, meeting the standards required for academic and research publications.
• Professional development: Regular use of the template encourages practitioners to reflect on their clinical practice, helping them to identify areas for professional growth and development.
• Consistency in case analysis: The template provides a consistent framework for analyzing and discussing patient cases. This consistency is essential for comparative analysis and for understanding the nuances of different cases.
• Time efficiency: With a set structure in place, healthcare professionals can save time in documenting and reviewing cases, as they do not have to create a new format each time.

Commonly asked questions

A Medical Case Study Template is a structured document used to record and analyze patient cases in a systematic and detailed manner. It helps in documenting patient history, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up, ensuring all crucial aspects of the case are covered.

Medical professionals, including doctors, nurses, and therapists, as well as medical students and educators, can benefit from using this template. It's also useful for researchers and clinicians involved in case studies for publication or presentation.

The template ensures comprehensive documentation of patient cases, which aids in better understanding and analyzing the patient's condition and treatment outcomes. This thorough approach can lead to more informed and effective patient care strategies.

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Writing a Case Report

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.  The most important aspect of a case report, i.e. 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.   

Case reports are commonly of the following categories :

- Rare diseases

- Unusual presentation of disease

- Unexpected events

- Unusual combination of diseases or conditions

- Difficult or inconclusive diagnosis

- Treatment or management challenges

- Personal impact

- Observations that shed new light on a disease or condition

- Anatomical variations

It is important that you recognize what is unique or interesting about your case, and this must be described clearly in the case report.

Case reports generally take the format of :

1. Background

2. Case presentation

3. Observations and investigation

4. Diagnosis

5. Treatment

7. Discussion

Does a case report require IRB approval?

Case reports typically discuss a single patient. 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.

Are there other rules for writing a case report?

First, you will be collecting protected health information, thus HIPAA applies to case reports.   Spectrum Health has created a very helpful guidance document for case reports, which you can see here:   Case Report Guidance - Spectrum Health

While this guidance document was created by Spectrum Health, the rules and regulations outlined could apply to any case report.  This includes answering questions like: Do I need written HIPAA authorization to publish a case report?  When do I need IRB review of a case report?  What qualifies as a patient identifier?

How do I get started?

1. We STRONGLY encourage you to consult the CARE Guidelines, which provide guidance on writing case reports -  https://www.care-statement.org/

Specifically, the checklist -  https://www.care-statement.org/checklist  - which explains exactly the information you should collect and include in your case report.  

2. Identify a case.  If you are a medical student, you may not yet have the clinical expertise to determine if a specific case is worth writing up.  If so, you must seek the help of a clinician.  It is common for students to ask attendings or residents if they have any interesting cases that can be used for a case report. 

3. Select a journal or two to which you think you will submit the 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.  Journals may also charge publication fees (see Is it free to publish? below)   

4. Obtain informed consent from the patient (see " Do I have to obtain informed consent from the patient? " below).  Journals may have their own informed consent form that they would like you to use, so please look for this when selecting a journal.

Once you've identified the case, selected an appropriate journal(s), and considered informed consent, you can collect the required information to write the case report.

How do I write a case report?

Once you identify a case and have learned what information to include in the case report, try to find a previously published case report.  Finding published case reports in a similar field will provide examples to guide you through the process of writing a case report.    

One journal you can consult is BMJ Case Reports .  MSU has an institutional fellowship with BMJ Case Reports which allows MSU faculty, staff and students to publish in this journal for free.  See this page for a link to the journal and more information on publishing-    https://lib.msu.edu/medicalwriting_publishing/

There are numerous other journals where you can find published case reports to help guide you in your writing. 

Do I have to obtain informed consent from the patient?

The CARE guidelines recommend obtaining informed consent from patients for all case reports.  Our recommendation is to obtain informed consent from the patient.  Although not technically required, especially if the case report does not include any identifying information, some journals require informed consent for all case reports before publishing.  The CARE guidelines recommend obtaining informed consent AND the patient's perspective on the treatment/outcome (if possible).  Please consider this as well.  

If required, it is recommended you obtain informed consent before the case report is written.

An example of a case report consent form can be found on the BMJ Case Reports website, which you can access via the MSU library page -  https://casereports.bmj.com/ .  Go to "Instructions for Authors" and then "Patient Consent" to find the consent form they use.  You can create a similar form to obtain consent from your patient.  If you have identified a journal already, please consult their requirements and determine if they have a specific consent form they would like you to use.

Seek feedback

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.   

Selecting a journal

Aside from BMJ Case Reports mentioned above, there are many, many journals out there who publish medical case reports.   Ask your mentor if they have a journal they would like to use.  If you need to select on your own, here are some strategies:

1. Do a PubMed search.  https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

   a. Do a search for a topic, disease or other feature of your case report 

   b. When the results appear, on the left side of the page is a limiter for "article type".  Case reports are an article type to which you can limit your search results.  If you don't see that option on the left, click "additional filters". 

   c. Review the case reports that come up and see what journals they are published in.

2. Use JANE -  https://jane.biosemantics.org/

3. Check with specialty societies.  Many specialty societies are affiliated with one or more journal, which can be reviewed for ones that match your needs

4. Search through individual publisher journal lists.  Elsevier publishes many different medical research journals, and they have a journal finder, much like JANE  ( https://journalfinder.elsevier.com/ ).  This is exclusive to Elsevier journals.  There are many other publishers of medical journals for review, including Springer, Dove Press, BMJ, BMC, Wiley, Sage, Nature and many others.

Is it free to publish ?

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".  It is best practice to check the journal's Info for Authors section or Author Center to determine what the cost is to publish.  MSU-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

*A more thorough discussion on finding a journal, publication costs, predatory journals and other publication-related issues can be found here:   https://research.chm.msu.edu/students-residents/finding-a-journal

Gagnier JJ, Kienle G, Altman DG, Moher D, Sox H, Riley D. 2013. The CARE guidelines: Consensus-based clinical case reporting guideline development.  Glob Adv Health Med . 2:38-43. doi:  10.7453/gahmj.2013.008

Riley DS, Barber MS, Kienle GS, AronsonJK, von Schoen-Angerer T, Tugwell P, Kiene H, Helfand M, Altman DG, Sox H, Werthmann PG, Moher D, Rison RA, Shamseer L, Koch CA, Sun GH, Hanaway P, Sudak NL, Kaszkin-Bettag M, Carpenter JE, Gagnier JJ. 2017.  CARE guidelines for case reports: explanation and elaboration document . J Clin Epidemiol . 89:218-234. doi: 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2017.04.026 

Guidelines to writing a clinical case report. 2017. Heart Views . 18:104-105. doi:  10.4103/1995-705X.217857

Ortega-Loubon C, Culquichicon C, Correa R. The importance of writing and publishing case reports during medical education. 2017. Cureus. 9:e1964. doi:  10.7759/cureus.1964

Writing and publishing a useful and interesting case report. 2019. BMJ Case Reports.  https://casereports.bmj.com/pages/wp-content/uploads/sites/69/2019/04/How-to-write-a-Case-Report-DIGITAL.pdf

Camm CF. Writing an excellent case report: EHJ Case Reports , Case of the Year 2019. 2020. European Heart Jounrnal. 41:1230-1231.  https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa176  

*content developed by Mark Trottier, PhD

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How to Write a Medical Case Study Report

Last Updated: July 5, 2022 Fact Checked

This article was medically reviewed by Mark Ziats, MD, PhD and by wikiHow staff writer, Jennifer Mueller, JD . Dr. Mark Ziats is an Internal Medicine Physician, Scientist, Entrepreneur, and the Medical Director of xBiotech. With over five years of experience, he specializes in biotechnology, genomics, and medical devices. He earned a Doctor of Medicine degree from Baylor College of Medicine, a Ph.D. in Genetics from the University of Cambridge, and a BS in Biochemistry and Chemistry from Clemson University. He also completed the INNoVATE Program in Biotechnology Entrepreneurship at The Johns Hopkins University - Carey Business School. Dr. Ziats is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. There are 16 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 186,218 times.

You've encountered an interesting and unusual case on your rounds, and a colleague or supervising physician says, "Why don't you write up a case study report?" If you've never written one before, that might sound intimidating, but it's a great way to get started in medical writing. Case studies always follow a standard structure and format, so the writing is very formulaic once you get the hang of it. Read on for a step-by-step guide to writing your first case study report.

What is a case study report?

• Medical students or residents typically do the bulk of the writing of the report. If you're just starting your medical career, a case study report is a great way to get a publication under your belt. [2] X Research source

• If the patient is a minor or is incapable of giving informed consent, get consent from their parents or closest relative. [4] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health Go to source
• Your hospital likely has specific consent forms to use. Ask your supervising physician if you're not sure where to get one.
• Some journals also have their own consent form. Check your target journal's author or submission information to make sure. [5] X Research source

How is a case study report structured?

• Even though the introduction is the first part of a case study report, doctors typically write it last. You'll have a better idea of how to introduce your case study to readers after you've written it.
• Your abstract comes at the top, before the introduction, and provides a brief summary of the entire report. Unless your case study is published in an open-access journal, the abstract is the only part of the article many readers will see.

• Many journals offer templates and checklists you can use to make sure your case study includes everything necessary and is formatted properly—take advantage of these! Some journals, such as BMJ Case Reports , require all case studies submitted to use their templates.

Drafting Your Medical Case Study Report

• Patient description
• Chronological case history
• Physical exam results
• Results of any pathological tests, imaging, or other investigations
• Treatment plan
• Expected outcome of treatment
• Actual outcome of treatment

• Why the patient sought medical help (you can even use their own words)
• Important information that helped you settle on your diagnosis
• The results of your clinical examination, including diagnostic tests and their results, along with any helpful images
• A description of the treatment plan
• The outcome, including how and why treatment ended and how long the patient was under your care [11] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health Go to source

• You will need references to back up symptoms of the condition, common treatment, and the expected outcome of that common treatment.
• Use your research to paint a picture of the usual case of a patient with a similar condition—it'll help you show how unusual and different your patient's case is.
• Generally, aim for around 20 references—no fewer than 15, but no more than 25. [13] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health Go to source

• Close your discussion section with a summary of the lessons learned from the case and why it's significant to consider when treating similar cases in the future.
• Outline any open questions that remain. You might also provide suggestions for future research.

• In your conclusion, you might also give suggestions or recommendations to readers based on what you learned as a result of the case.
• Some journals don't want a separate conclusion section. If that's the case for one of your target journals, just move this paragraph to the end of your discussion section.

Polishing Your Report for Submission to Publishers

• Most titles are fewer than 10 words long and include the name of the disease or condition treated.
• You might also include the treatment used and whether the outcome was successful. When deciding what to include, think about the reason you wrote the case study in the first place and why you think it's important for other clinicians to read.

• Made a significant intellectual contribution to the case study report
• Was involved in the medical care of the patient reported
• Can explain and defend the data presented in the report
• Has approved the final manuscript before submission for publication

• Keep in mind that the abstract is not just going to be the first thing people read—it will often be the only thing people read. Make sure that if someone is going to walk away having only read the abstract, they'll still get the same message they would have if they read the whole thing.
• There are 2 basic types of abstract: narrative and structured. A narrative abstract is a single paragraph written in narrative prose. A structured abstract includes headings that correspond with the sections of the paper, then a brief summary of each section. Use the format preferred by your target journal.

• Look for keywords that are relevant to your field or sub-field and directly related to the content of your article, such as the name of the condition or specific treatments you used.
• Most journals allow 4-8 keywords but check the submission guidelines of your target journal to make sure.

• Blur out the patient's face as well as any tattoos, birthmarks, or unrelated scars that are visible in diagnostic images.

• It's common to thank the patient, but that's up to you. Even if you don't, include a statement indicating that you have the patient's written, informed consent to publish the information.
• Read the journal's submission guidelines for a definition of what that journal considers a conflict of interest. They're generally the same, but some might be stricter than others. [22] X Research source

• If you're not familiar with the citation style used by your target journal, check online for a guide. There might also be one available at your hospital or medical school library.
• Medical librarians can also help with citation style and references if you run into something tricky—don't just wing it! Correct citation style insures that readers can access the materials you cite.

• It's also a good idea to get a beta reader who isn't a medical professional. Their comments can help you figure out where you need to clarify your points.
• Read a lot of case studies published in your target journals—it will help you internalize the tone and style that journal is looking for.

Submitting Your Report to Publishers

• Look into the background and reputation of journals before you decide to submit to them. Only seek publication from reputable journals in which articles go through a peer-review process.
• Find out what publishing fees the journals charge. Keep in mind that open-access journals tend to charge higher publishing fees. [26] X Research source
• Read each journal's submission and editorial guidelines carefully. They'll tell you exactly how to format your case study, how long each section should be, and what citation style to use. [27] X Research source
• For electronic journals that only publish case reports, try BMJ Case Reports , Journal of Medical Case Reports , or Radiology Case Reports .

• If your manuscript isn't suitable for the journal you submitted to, the journal might offer to forward it to an associated journal where it would be a better fit.
• When your manuscript is provisionally accepted, the journal will send it to other doctors for evaluation under the peer-review process.
• Most medical journals don't accept simultaneous submissions, meaning you'll have to submit to your first choice, wait for their decision, then move to the next journal on the list if they don't bite.

• Along with your revised manuscript, include a letter with your response to each of the reviewer's comments. Where you made revisions, add page numbers to indicate where the revisions are that address that reviewer's comments.
• Sometimes, doctors involved in the peer review process will indicate that the journal should reject the manuscript. If that's the case, you'll get a letter explaining why your case study report won't be published and you're free to submit it elsewhere.

• Some journals require you to have your article professionally copy-edited at your own cost while others do this in-house. The editors will let you know what you're responsible for.

• With your acceptance letter, you'll get instructions on how to make payment and how much you owe. Take note of the deadline and make sure you pay it as soon as possible to avoid publication delays.
• Some journals will publish for free, with an "open-access option" that allows you to pay a fee only if you want open access to your article. [32] X Research source

• Through the publishing agreement, you assign your copyright in the article to the journal. This allows the journal to legally publish your work. That assignment can be exclusive or non-exclusive and may only last for a specific term. Read these details carefully!
• If you published an open-access article, you don't assign the copyright to the publisher. The publishing agreement merely gives the journal the right to publish the "Version of Record." [34] X Research source

How do I find a suitable case for a report?

• A rare disease, or unusual presentation of any disease
• An unusual combination of diseases or conditions
• A difficult or inconclusive diagnosis
• Unexpected developments or responses to treatment
• Personal impact
• Observations that shed new light on the patient's disease or condition

• There might be other members of your medical team that want to help with writing. If so, use one of these brainstorming sessions to divvy up writing responsibilities in a way that makes the most sense given your relative skills and experience.
• Senior doctors might also be able to name some journals that would potentially publish your case study. [37] X Research source

Expert Q&A

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.elsevier.com/connect/authors-update/the-dos-and-donts-of-writing-and-publishing-case-reports
• ↑ https://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h2693
• ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5686928/
• ↑ https://health.usf.edu/medicine/internalmedicine/im-impact/~/media/B3A3421F4C144FA090AE965C21791A3C.ashx
• ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2597880/
• ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6476221/
• ↑ https://www.springer.com/gp/authors-editors/authorandreviewertutorials/writing-a-journal-manuscript/title-abstract-and-keywords/10285522
• ↑ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2597880/
• ↑ https://thelancet.com/pb/assets/raw/Lancet/authors/tl-info-for-authors.pdf
• ↑ https://jmedicalcasereports.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13256-017-1351-y
• ↑ https://guides.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/casereports
• ↑ https://casereports.bmj.com/pages/authors/
• ↑ https://jmedicalcasereports.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1752-1947-7-239
• ↑ https://research.chm.msu.edu/students-residents/writing-a-case-report
• ↑ https://www.elsevier.com/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/98619/Sample-P-copyright-2.pdf
• ↑ https://authorservices.taylorandfrancis.com/publishing-your-research/moving-through-production/copyright-for-journal-authors/#

About This Article

Medical Disclaimer

The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, examination, diagnosis, or treatment. You should always contact your doctor or other qualified healthcare professional before starting, changing, or stopping any kind of health treatment.

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To start a medical case study report, first choose a title that clearly reflects the contents of the report. You’ll also need to list any participating authors and develop a list of keywords, as well as an abstract summarizing the report. Your report will need to include an introduction summarizing the context of the report, as well as a detailed presentation of the case. Don’t forget to include a thorough citation list and acknowledgements of anyone else who participated in the study. For more tips from our Medical co-author, including how to get your case study report published, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Health Case Studies

(29 reviews)

Glynda Rees, British Columbia Institute of Technology

Rob Kruger, British Columbia Institute of Technology

Janet Morrison, British Columbia Institute of Technology

Copyright Year: 2017

Publisher: BCcampus

Language: English

Formats Available

Conditions of use.

Learn more about reviews.

Reviewed by Jessica Sellars, Medical assistant office instructor, Blue Mountain Community College on 10/11/23

This is a book of compiled and very well organized patient case studies. The author has broken it up by disease patient was experiencing and even the healthcare roles that took place in this patients care. There is a well thought out direction and... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This is a book of compiled and very well organized patient case studies. The author has broken it up by disease patient was experiencing and even the healthcare roles that took place in this patients care. There is a well thought out direction and plan. There is an appendix to refer to as well if you are needing to find something specific quickly. I have been looking for something like this to help my students have a base to do their project on. This is the most comprehensive version I have found on the subject.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

This is a book compiled of medical case studies. It is very accurate and can be used to learn from great care and mistakes.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

This material is very relevant in this context. It also has plenty of individual case studies to utilize in many ways in all sorts of medical courses. This is a very useful textbook and it will continue to be useful for a very long time as you can still learn from each study even if medicine changes through out the years.

Clarity rating: 5

The author put a lot of thought into the ease of accessibility and reading level of the target audience. There is even a "how to use this resource" section which could be extremely useful to students.

Consistency rating: 5

The text follows a very consistent format throughout the book.

Modularity rating: 5

Each case study is individual broken up and in a group of similar case studies. This makes it extremely easy to utilize.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The book is very organized and the appendix is through. It flows seamlessly through each case study.

Interface rating: 5

I had no issues navigating this book, It was clearly labeled and very easy to move around in.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

I did not catch any grammar errors as I was going through the book

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

This is a challenging question for any medical textbook. It is very culturally relevant to those in medical or medical office degrees.

I have been looking for something like this for years. I am so happy to have finally found it.

Reviewed by Cindy Sun, Assistant Professor, Marshall University on 1/7/23

Interestingly, this is not a case of ‘you get what you pay for’. Instead, not only are the case studies organized in a fashion for ease of use through a detailed table of contents, the authors have included more support for both faculty and... read more

Interestingly, this is not a case of ‘you get what you pay for’. Instead, not only are the case studies organized in a fashion for ease of use through a detailed table of contents, the authors have included more support for both faculty and students. For faculty, the introduction section titled ‘How to use this resource’ and individual notes to educators before each case study contain application tips. An appendix overview lists key elements as issues / concepts, scenario context, and healthcare roles for each case study. For students, learning objectives are presented at the beginning of each case study to provide a framework of expectations.

The content is presented accurately and realistic.

The case studies read similar to ‘A Day In the Life of…’ with detailed intraprofessional communications similar to what would be overheard in patient care areas. The authors present not only the view of the patient care nurse, but also weave interprofessional vantage points through each case study by including patient interaction with individual professionals such as radiology, physician, etc.

In addition to objective assessment findings, the authors integrate standard orders for each diagnosis including medications, treatments, and tests allowing the student to incorporate pathophysiology components to their assessments.

Each case study is arranged in the same framework for consistency and ease of use.

This compilation of eight healthcare case studies focusing on new onset and exacerbation of prevalent diagnoses, such as heart failure, deep vein thrombosis, cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease advancing to pneumonia.

Each case study has a photo of the ‘patient’. Simple as this may seem, it gives an immediate mental image for the student to focus.

Interface rating: 4

As noted by previous reviewers, most of the links do not connect active web pages. This may be due to the multiple options for accessing this resource (pdf download, pdf electronic, web view, etc.).

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

A minor weakness that faculty will probably need to address prior to use is regarding specific term usages differences between Commonwealth countries and United States, such as lung sound descriptors as ‘quiet’ in place of ‘diminished’ and ‘puffers’ in place of ‘inhalers’.

The authors have provided a multicultural, multigenerational approach in selection of patient characteristics representing a snapshot of today’s patient population. Additionally, one case study focusing on heart failure is about a middle-aged adult, contrasting to the average aged patient the students would normally see during clinical rotations. This option provides opportunities for students to expand their knowledge on risk factors extending beyond age.

This resource is applicable to nursing students learning to care for patients with the specific disease processes presented in each case study or for the leadership students focusing on intraprofessional communication. Educators can assign as a supplement to clinical experiences or as an in-class application of knowledge.

Reviewed by Stephanie Sideras, Assistant Professor, University of Portland on 8/15/22

The eight case studies included in this text addressed high frequency health alterations that all nurses need to be able to manage competently. While diabetes was not highlighted directly, it was included as a potential comorbidity. The five... read more

The eight case studies included in this text addressed high frequency health alterations that all nurses need to be able to manage competently. While diabetes was not highlighted directly, it was included as a potential comorbidity. The five overarching learning objectives pulled from the Institute of Medicine core competencies will clearly resonate with any faculty familiar with Quality and Safety Education for Nurses curriculum.

The presentation of symptoms, treatments and management of the health alterations was accurate. Dialogue between the the interprofessional team was realistic. At times the formatting of lab results was confusing as they reflected reference ranges specific to the Canadian healthcare system but these occurrences were minimal and could be easily adapted.

The focus for learning from these case studies was communication - patient centered communication and interprofessional team communication. Specific details, such as drug dosing, was minimized, which increases longevity and allows for easy individualization of the case data.

While some vocabulary was specific to the Canadian healthcare system, overall the narrative was extremely engaging and easy to follow. Subjective case data from patient or provider were formatted in italics and identified as 'thoughts'. Objective and behavioral case data were smoothly integrated into the narrative.

The consistency of formatting across the eight cases was remarkable. Specific learning objectives are identified for each case and these remain consistent across the range of cases, varying only in the focus for the goals for each different health alterations. Each case begins with presentation of essential patient background and the progress across the trajectory of illness as the patient moves from location to location encountering different healthcare professionals. Many of the characters (the triage nurse in the Emergency Department, the phlebotomist) are consistent across the case situations. These consistencies facilitate both application of a variety of teaching methods and student engagement with the situated learning approach.

Case data is presented by location and begins with the patient's first encounter with the healthcare system. This allows for an examination of how specific trajectories of illness are manifested and how care management needs to be prioritized at different stages. This approach supports discussions of care transitions and the complexity of the associated interprofessional communication.

The text is well organized. The case that has two levels of complexity is clearly identified

The internal links between the table of contents and case specific locations work consistently. In the EPUB and the Digital PDF the external hyperlinks are inconsistently valid.

The grammatical errors were minimal and did not detract from readability

Cultural diversity is present across the cases in factors including race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, family dynamics and sexual orientation.

The level of detail included in these cases supports a teaching approach to address all three spectrums of learning - knowledge, skills and attitudes - necessary for the development of competent practice. I also appreciate the inclusion of specific assessment instruments that would facilitate a discussion of evidence based practice. I will enjoy using these case to promote clinical reasoning discussions of data that is noticed and interpreted with the resulting prioritizes that are set followed by reflections that result from learner choices.

Reviewed by Chris Roman, Associate Professor, Butler University on 5/19/22

It would be extremely difficult for a book of clinical cases to comprehensively cover all of medicine, and this text does not try. Rather, it provides cases related to common medical problems and introduces them in a way that allows for various... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

It would be extremely difficult for a book of clinical cases to comprehensively cover all of medicine, and this text does not try. Rather, it provides cases related to common medical problems and introduces them in a way that allows for various learning strategies to be employed to leverage the cases for deeper student learning and application.

The narrative form of the cases is less subject to issues of accuracy than a more content-based book would be. That said, the cases are realistic and reasonable, avoiding being too mundane or too extreme.

These cases are narrative and do not include many specific mentions of drugs, dosages, or other aspects of clinical care that may grow/evolve as guidelines change. For this reason, the cases should be “evergreen” and can be modified to suit different types of learners.

Clarity rating: 4

The text is written in very accessible language and avoids heavy use of technical language. Depending on the level of learner, this might even be too simplistic and omit some details that would be needed for physicians, pharmacists, and others to make nuanced care decisions.

The format is very consistent with clear labeling at transition points.

The authors point out in the introductory materials that this text is designed to be used in a modular fashion. Further, they have built in opportunities to customize each cases, such as giving dates of birth at “19xx” to allow for adjustments based on instructional objectives, etc.

The organization is very easy to follow.

I did not identify any issues in navigating the text.

The text contains no grammatical errors, though the language is a little stiff/unrealistic in some cases.

Cases involve patients and members of the care team that are of varying ages, genders, and racial/ethnic backgrounds

Reviewed by Trina Larery, Assistant Professor, Pittsburg State University on 4/5/22

The book covers common scenarios, providing allied health students insight into common health issues. The information in the book is thorough and easily modified if needed to include other scenarios not listed. The material was easy to understand... read more

The book covers common scenarios, providing allied health students insight into common health issues. The information in the book is thorough and easily modified if needed to include other scenarios not listed. The material was easy to understand and apply to the classroom. The E-reader format included hyperlinks that bring the students to subsequent clinical studies.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The treatments were explained and rationales were given, which can be very helpful to facilitate effective learning for a nursing student or novice nurse. The case studies were accurate in explanation. The DVT case study incorrectly identifies the location of the clot in the popliteal artery instead of in the vein.

The content is relevant to a variety of different types of health care providers and due to the general nature of the cases, will remain relevant over time. Updates should be made annually to the hyperlinks and to assure current standard of practice is still being met.

Clear, simple and easy to read.

Consistent with healthcare terminology and framework throughout all eight case studies.

The text is modular. Cases can be used individually within a unit on the given disease process or relevant sections of a case could be used to illustrate a specific point providing great flexibility. The appendix is helpful in locating content specific to a certain diagnosis or a certain type of health care provider.

The book is well organized, presenting in a logical clear fashion. The appendix allows the student to move about the case study without difficulty.

The interface is easy and simple to navigate. Some links to external sources might need to be updated regularly since those links are subject to change based on current guidelines. A few hyperlinks had "page not found".

Few grammatical errors were noted in text.

The case studies include people of different ethnicities, socioeconomic status, ages, and genders to make this a very useful book.

I enjoyed reading the text. It was interesting and relevant to today's nursing student. There are roughly 25 broken online links or "pages not found", care needs to be taken to update at least annually and assure links are valid and utilizing the most up to date information.

Reviewed by Benjamin Silverberg, Associate Professor/Clinician, West Virginia University on 3/24/22

The appendix reviews the "key roles" and medical venues found in all 8 cases, but is fairly spartan on medical content. The table of contents at the beginning only lists the cases and locations of care. It can be a little tricky to figure out what... read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

The appendix reviews the "key roles" and medical venues found in all 8 cases, but is fairly spartan on medical content. The table of contents at the beginning only lists the cases and locations of care. It can be a little tricky to figure out what is going on where, especially since each case is largely conversation-based. Since this presents 8 cases (really 7 with one being expanded upon), there are many medical topics (and venues) that are not included. It's impossible to include every kind of situation, but I'd love to see inclusion of sexual health, renal pathology, substance abuse, etc.

Though there are differences in how care can be delivered based on personal style, changing guidelines, available supplies, etc, the medical accuracy seems to be high. I did not detect bias or industry influence.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

Medications are generally listed as generics, with at least current dosing recommendations. The text gives a picture of what care looks like currently, but will be a little challenging to update based on new guidelines (ie, it can be hard to find the exact page in which a medication is dosed/prescribed). Even if the text were to be a little out of date, an instructor can use that to point out what has changed (and why).

Clear text, usually with definitions of medical slang or higher-tier vocabulary. Minimal jargon and there are instances where the "characters" are sorting out the meaning as well, making it accessible for new learners, too.

Overall, the style is consistent between cases - largely broken up into scenes and driven by conversation rather than descriptions of what is happening.

There are 8 (well, again, 7) cases which can be reviewed in any order. Case #2 builds upon #1, which is intentional and a good idea, though personally I would have preferred one case to have different possible outcomes or even a recurrence of illness. Each scene within a case is reasonably short.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

These cases are modular and don't really build on concepts throughout. As previously stated, case #2 builds upon #1, but beyond that, there is no progression. (To be sure, the authors suggest using case #1 for newer learners and #2 for more advanced ones.) The text would benefit from thematic grouping, a longer introduction and debriefing for each case (there are learning objectives but no real context in medical education nor questions to reflect on what was just read), and progressively-increasing difficulty in medical complexity, ethics, etc.

I used the PDF version and had no interface issues. There are minimal photographs and charts. Some words are marked in blue but those did not seem to be hyperlinked anywhere.

No noticeable errors in grammar, spelling, or formatting were noted.

I appreciate that some diversity of age and ethnicity were offered, but this could be improved. There were Canadian Indian and First Nations patients, for example, as well as other characters with implied diversity, but there didn't seem to be any mention of gender diverse or non-heterosexual people, or disabilities. The cases tried to paint family scenes (the first patient's dog was fairly prominently mentioned) to humanize them. Including more cases would allow for more opportunities to include sex/gender minorities, (hidden) disabilities, etc.

The text (originally from 2017) could use an update. It could be used in conjunction with other Open Texts, as a compliment to other coursework, or purely by itself. The focus is meant to be on improving communication, but there are only 3 short pages at the beginning of the text considering those issues (which are really just learning objectives). In addition to adding more cases and further diversity, I personally would love to see more discussion before and after the case to guide readers (and/or instructors). I also wonder if some of the ambiguity could be improved by suggesting possible health outcomes - this kind of counterfactual comparison isn't possible in real life and could be really interesting in a text. Addition of comprehension/discussion questions would also be worthwhile.

Reviewed by Danielle Peterson, Assistant Professor, University of Saint Francis on 12/31/21

This text provides readers with 8 case studies which include both chronic and acute healthcare issues. Although not comprehensive in regard to types of healthcare conditions, it provides a thorough look at the communication between healthcare... read more

This text provides readers with 8 case studies which include both chronic and acute healthcare issues. Although not comprehensive in regard to types of healthcare conditions, it provides a thorough look at the communication between healthcare workers in acute hospital settings. The cases are primarily set in the inpatient hospital setting, so the bulk of the clinical information is basic emergency care and inpatient protocol: vitals, breathing, medication management, etc. The text provides a table of contents at opening of the text and a handy appendix at the conclusion of the text that outlines each case’s issue(s), scenario, and healthcare roles. No index or glossary present.

Although easy to update, it should be noted that the cases are taking place in a Canadian healthcare system. Terms may be unfamiliar to some students including “province,” “operating theatre,” “physio/physiotherapy,” and “porter.” Units of measurement used include Celsius and meters. Also, the issue of managed care, health insurance coverage, and length of stay is missing for American students. These are primary issues that dictate much of the healthcare system in the US and a primary job function of social workers, nurse case managers, and medical professionals in general. However, instructors that wish to add this to the case studies could do so easily.

The focus of this text is on healthcare communication which makes it less likely to become obsolete. Much of the clinical information is stable healthcare practice that has been standard of care for quite some time. Nevertheless, given the nature of text, updates would be easy to make. Hyperlinks should be updated to the most relevant and trustworthy sources and checked frequently for effectiveness.

The spacing that was used to note change of speaker made for ease of reading. Although unembellished and plain, I expect students to find this format easy to digest and interesting, especially since the script is appropriately balanced with ‘human’ qualities like the current TV shows and songs, the use of humor, and nonverbal cues.

A welcome characteristic of this text is its consistency. Each case is presented in a similar fashion and the roles of the healthcare team are ‘played’ by the same character in each of the scenarios. This allows students to see how healthcare providers prioritize cases and juggle the needs of multiple patients at once. Across scenarios, there was inconsistency in when clinical terms were hyperlinked.

The text is easily divisible into smaller reading sections. However, since the nature of the text is script-narrative format, if significant reorganization occurs, one will need to make sure that the communication of the script still makes sense.

The text is straightforward and presented in a consistent fashion: learning objectives, case history, a script of what happened before the patient enters the healthcare setting, and a script of what happens once the patient arrives at the healthcare setting. The authors use the term, “ideal interactions,” and I would agree that these cases are in large part, ‘best case scenarios.’ Due to this, the case studies are well organized, clear, logical, and predictable. However, depending on the level of student, instructors may want to introduce complications that are typical in the hospital setting.

The interface is pleasing and straightforward. With exception to the case summary and learning objectives, the cases are in narrative, script format. Each case study supplies a photo of the ‘patient’ and one of the case studies includes a link to a 3-minute video that introduces the reader to the patient/case. One of the highlights of this text is the use of hyperlinks to various clinical practices (ABG, vital signs, transfer of patient). Unfortunately, a majority of the links are broken. However, since this is an open text, instructors can update the links to their preference.

Although not free from grammatical errors, those that were noticed were minimal and did not detract from reading.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

Cultural diversity is visible throughout the patients used in the case studies and includes factors such as age, race, socioeconomic status, family dynamics, and sexual orientation. A moderate level of diversity is noted in the healthcare team with some stereotypes: social workers being female, doctors primarily male.

As a social work instructor, I was grateful to find a text that incorporates this important healthcare role. I would have liked to have seen more content related to advance directives, mediating decision making between the patient and care team, emotional and practical support related to initial diagnosis and discharge planning, and provision of support to colleagues, all typical roles of a medical social worker. I also found it interesting that even though social work was included in multiple scenarios, the role was only introduced on the learning objectives page for the oncology case.

Reviewed by Crystal Wynn, Associate Professor, Virginia State University on 7/21/21

The text covers a variety of chronic diseases within the cases; however, not all of the common disease states were included within the text. More chronic diseases need to be included such as diabetes, cancer, and renal failure. Not all allied... read more

The text covers a variety of chronic diseases within the cases; however, not all of the common disease states were included within the text. More chronic diseases need to be included such as diabetes, cancer, and renal failure. Not all allied health care team members are represented within the case study. Key terms appear throughout the case study textbook and readers are able to click on a hyperlink which directs them to the definition and an explanation of the key term.

Content is accurate, error-free and unbiased.

The content is up-to-date, but not in a way that will quickly make the text obsolete within a short period of time. The text is written and/or arranged in such a way that necessary updates will be relatively easy and straightforward to implement.

The text is written in lucid, accessible prose, and provides adequate context for any jargon/technical terminology used

The text is internally consistent in terms of terminology and framework.

The text is easily and readily divisible into smaller reading sections that can be assigned at different points within the course. Each case can be divided into a chronic disease state unit, which will allow the reader to focus on one section at a time.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 3

The topics in the text are presented in a logical manner. Each case provides an excessive amount of language that provides a description of the case. The cases in this text reads more like a novel versus a clinical textbook. The learning objectives listed within each case should be in the form of questions or activities that could be provided as resources for instructors and teachers.

Interface rating: 3

There are several hyperlinks embedded within the textbook that are not functional.

The text contains no grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way. More examples of cultural inclusiveness is needed throughout the textbook. The cases should be indicative of individuals from a variety of races and ethnicities.

Reviewed by Rebecca Hillary, Biology Instructor, Portland Community College on 6/15/21

This textbook consists of a collection of clinical case studies that can be applicable to a wide range of learning environments from supplementing an undergraduate Anatomy and Physiology Course, to including as part of a Medical or other health... read more

This textbook consists of a collection of clinical case studies that can be applicable to a wide range of learning environments from supplementing an undergraduate Anatomy and Physiology Course, to including as part of a Medical or other health care program. I read the textbook in E-reader format and this includes hyperlinks that bring the students to subsequent clinical study if the book is being used in a clinical classroom. This book is significantly more comprehensive in its approach from other case studies I have read because it provides a bird’s eye view of the many clinicians, technicians, and hospital staff working with one patient. The book also provides real time measurements for patients that change as they travel throughout the hospital until time of discharge.

Each case gave an accurate sense of the chaos that would be present in an emergency situation and show how the conditions affect the practitioners as well as the patients. The reader gets an accurate big picture--a feel for each practitioner’s point of view as well as the point of view of the patient and the patient’s family as the clock ticks down and the patients are subjected to a number of procedures. The clinical information contained in this textbook is all in hyperlinks containing references to clinical skills open text sources or medical websites. I did find one broken link on an external medical resource.

The diseases presented are relevant and will remain so. Some of the links are directly related to the Canadian Medical system so they may not be applicable to those living in other regions. Clinical links may change over time but the text itself will remain relevant.

Each case study clearly presents clinical data as is it recorded in real time.

Each case study provides the point of view of several practitioners and the patient over several days. While each of the case studies covers different pathology they all follow this same format, several points of view and data points, over a number of days.

The case studies are divided by days and this was easy to navigate as a reader. It would be easy to assign one case study per body system in an Anatomy and Physiology course, or to divide them up into small segments for small in class teaching moments.

The topics are presented in an organized way showing clinical data over time and each case presents a large number of view points. For example, in the first case study, the patient is experiencing difficulty breathing. We follow her through several days from her entrance to the emergency room. We meet her X Ray Technicians, Doctor, Nurses, Medical Assistant, Porter, Physiotherapist, Respiratory therapist, and the Lab Technicians running her tests during her stay. Each practitioner paints the overall clinical picture to the reader.

I found the text easy to navigate. There were not any figures included in the text, only clinical data organized in charts. The figures were all accessible via hyperlink. Some figures within the textbook illustrating patient scans could have been helpful but I did not have trouble navigating the links to visualize the scans.

I did not see any grammatical errors in the text.

The patients in the text are a variety of ages and have a variety of family arrangements but there is not much diversity among the patients. Our seven patients in the eight case studies are mostly white and all cis gendered.

Some of the case studies, for example the heart failure study, show clinical data before and after drug treatments so the students can get a feel for mechanism in physiological action. I also liked that the case studies included diet and lifestyle advice for the patients rather than solely emphasizing these pharmacological interventions. Overall, I enjoyed reading through these case studies and I plan to utilize them in my Anatomy and Physiology courses.

Reviewed by Richard Tarpey, Assistant Professor, Middle Tennessee State University on 5/11/21

As a case study book, there is no index or glossary. However, medical and technical terms provide a useful link to definitions and explanations that will prove useful to students unfamiliar with the terms. The information provided is appropriate... read more

As a case study book, there is no index or glossary. However, medical and technical terms provide a useful link to definitions and explanations that will prove useful to students unfamiliar with the terms. The information provided is appropriate for entry-level health care students. The book includes important health problems, but I would like to see coverage of at least one more chronic/lifestyle issue such as diabetes. The book covers adult issues only.

Content is accurate without bias

The content of the book is relevant and up-to-date. It addresses conditions that are prevalent in today's population among adults. There are no pediatric cases, but this does not significantly detract from the usefulness of the text. The format of the book lends to easy updating of data or information.

The book is written with clarity and is easy to read. The writing style is accessible and technical terminology is explained with links to more information.

Consistency is present. Lack of consistency is typically a problem with case study texts, but this book is consistent with presentation, format, and terminology throughout each of the eight cases.

The book has high modularity. Each of the case studies can be used independently from the others providing flexibility. Additionally, each case study can be partitioned for specific learning objectives based on the learning objectives of the course or module.

The book is well organized, presenting students conceptually with differing patient flow patterns through a hospital. The patient information provided at the beginning of each case is a wonderful mechanism for providing personal context for the students as they consider the issues. Many case studies focus on the problem and the organization without students getting a patient's perspective. The patient perspective is well represented in these cases.

The navigation through the cases is good. There are some terminology and procedure hyperlinks within the cases that do not work when accessed. This is troubling if you intend to use the text for entry-level health care students since many of these links are critical for a full understanding of the case.

There are some non-US variants of spelling and a few grammatical errors, but these do not detract from the content of the messages of each case.

The book is inclusive of differing backgrounds and perspectives. No insensitive or offensive references were found.

I like this text for its application flexibility. The book is useful for non-clinical healthcare management students to introduce various healthcare-related concepts and terminology. The content is also helpful for the identification of healthcare administration managerial issues for students to consider. The book has many applications.

Reviewed by Paula Baldwin, Associate Professor/Communication Studies, Western Oregon University on 5/10/21

The different case studies fall on a range, from crisis care to chronic illness care. read more

The different case studies fall on a range, from crisis care to chronic illness care.

The contents seems to be written as they occurred to represent the most complete picture of each medical event's occurence.

These case studies are from the Canadian medical system, but that does not interfere with it's applicability.

It is written for a medical audience, so the terminology is mostly formal and technical.

Some cases are shorter than others and some go in more depth, but it is not problematic.

The eight separate case studies is the perfect size for a class in the quarter system. You could combine this with other texts, videos or learning modalities, or use it alone.

As this is a case studies book, there is not a need for a logical progression in presentation of topics.

No problems in terms of interface.

I have not seen any grammatical errors.

I did not see anything that was culturally insensitive.

I used this in a Health Communication class and it has been extraordinarily successful. My studies are analyzing the messaging for the good, the bad, and the questionable. The case studies are widely varied and it gives the class insights into hospital experiences, both front and back stage, that they would not normally be able to examine. I believe that because it is based real-life medical incidents, my students are finding the material highly engaging.

Reviewed by Marlena Isaac, Instructor, Aiken Technical College on 4/23/21

This text is great to walk through patient care with entry level healthcare students. The students are able to take in the information, digest it, then provide suggestions to how they would facilitate patient healing. Then when they are faced with... read more

This text is great to walk through patient care with entry level healthcare students. The students are able to take in the information, digest it, then provide suggestions to how they would facilitate patient healing. Then when they are faced with a situation in clinical they are not surprised and now how to move through it effectively.

The case studies provided accurate information that relates to the named disease.

It is relevant to health care studies and the development of critical thinking.

Cases are straightforward with great clinical information.

Clinical information is provided concisely.

Appropriate for clinical case study.

Presented to facilitate information gathering.

Takes a while to navigate in the browser.

Cultural Relevance rating: 1

Text lacks adequate representation of minorities.

Reviewed by Kim Garcia, Lecturer III, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley on 11/16/20

The book has 8 case studies, so obviously does not cover the whole of medicine, but the cases provided are descriptive and well developed. Cases are presented at different levels of difficulty, making the cases appropriate for students at... read more

The book has 8 case studies, so obviously does not cover the whole of medicine, but the cases provided are descriptive and well developed. Cases are presented at different levels of difficulty, making the cases appropriate for students at different levels of clinical knowledge. The human element of both patient and health care provider is well captured. The cases are presented with a focus on interprofessional interaction and collaboration, more so than teaching medical content.

Content is accurate and un-biased. No errors noted. Most diagnostic and treatment information is general so it will remain relevant over time. The content of these cases is more appropriate for teaching interprofessional collaboration and less so for teaching the medical care for each diagnosis.

The content is relevant to a variety of different types of health care providers (nurses, radiologic technicians, medical laboratory personnel, etc) and due to the general nature of the cases, will remain relevant over time.

Easy to read. Clear headings are provided for sections of each case study and these section headings clearly tell when time has passed or setting has changed. Enough description is provided to help set the scene for each part of the case. Much of the text is written in the form of dialogue involving patient, family and health care providers, making it easy to adapt for role play. Medical jargon is limited and links for medical terms are provided to other resources that expound on medical terms used.

The text is consistent in structure of each case. Learning objectives are provided. Cases generally start with the patient at home and move with the patient through admission, testing and treatment, using a variety of healthcare services and encountering a variety of personnel.

The text is modular. Cases could be used individually within a unit on the given disease process or relevant sections of a case could be used to illustrate a specific point. The appendix is helpful in locating content specific to a certain diagnosis or a certain type of health care provider.

Each case follows a patient in a logical, chronologic fashion. A clear table of contents and appendix are provided which allows the user to quickly locate desired content. It would be helpful if the items in the table of contents and appendix were linked to the corresponding section of the text.

The hyperlinks to content outside this book work, however using the back arrow on your browser returns you to the front page of the book instead of to the point at which you left the text. I would prefer it if the hyperlinks opened in a new window or tab so closing that window or tab would leave you back where you left the text.

No grammatical errors were noted.

The text is culturally inclusive and appropriate. Characters, both patients and care givers are of a variety of races, ethnicities, ages and backgrounds.

I enjoyed reading the cases and reviewing this text. I can think of several ways in which I will use this content.

Reviewed by Raihan Khan, Instructor/Assistant Professor, James Madison University on 11/3/20

The book contains several important health issues, however still missing some chronic health issues that the students should learn before they join the workforce, such as diabetes-related health issues suffered by the patients. read more

The book contains several important health issues, however still missing some chronic health issues that the students should learn before they join the workforce, such as diabetes-related health issues suffered by the patients.

The health information contained in the textbook is mostly accurate.

I think the book is written focusing on the current culture and health issues faced by the patients. To keep the book relevant in the future, the contexts especially the culture/lifestyle/health care modalities, etc. would need to be updated regularly.

The language is pretty simple, clear, and easy to read.

There is no complaint about consistency. One of the main issues of writing a book, consistency was well managed by the authors.

The book is easy to explore based on how easy the setup is. Students can browse to the specific section that they want to read without much hassle of finding the correct information.

The organization is simple but effective. The authors organized the book based on what can happen in a patient's life and what possible scenarios students should learn about the disease. From that perspective, the book does a good job.

The interface is easy and simple to navigate. Some links to external sources might need to be updated regularly since those links are subject to change that is beyond the author's control. It's frustrating for the reader when the external link shows no information.

The book is free of any major language and grammatical errors.

The book might do a little better in cultural competency. e.g. Last name Singh is mainly for Sikh people. In the text Harj and Priya Singh are Muslim. the authors can consult colleagues who are more familiar with those cultures and revise some cultural aspects of the cases mentioned in the book.

The book is a nice addition to the open textbook world. Hope to see more health issues covered by the book.

Reviewed by Ryan Sheryl, Assistant Professor, California State University, Dominguez Hills on 7/16/20

This text contains 8 medical case studies that reflect best practices at the time of publication. The text identifies 5 overarching learning objectives: interprofessional collaboration, client centered care, evidence-based practice, quality... read more

This text contains 8 medical case studies that reflect best practices at the time of publication. The text identifies 5 overarching learning objectives: interprofessional collaboration, client centered care, evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and informatics. While the case studies do not cover all medical conditions or bodily systems, the book is thorough in conveying details of various patients and medical team members in a hospital environment. Rather than an index or glossary at the end of the text, it contains links to outside websites for more information on medical tests and terms referenced in the cases.

The content provided is reflective of best practices in patient care, interdisciplinary collaboration, and communication at the time of publication. It is specifically accurate for the context of hospitals in Canada. The links provided throughout the text have the potential to supplement with up-to-date descriptions and definitions, however, many of them are broken (see notes in Interface section).

The content of the case studies reflects the increasingly complex landscape of healthcare, including a variety of conditions, ages, and personal situations of the clients and care providers. The text will require frequent updating due to the rapidly changing landscape of society and best practices in client care. For example, a future version may include inclusive practices with transgender clients, or address ways medical racism implicitly impacts client care (see notes in Cultural Relevance section).

The text is written clearly and presents thorough, realistic details about working and being treated in an acute hospital context.

The text is very straightforward. It is consistent in its structure and flow. It uses consistent terminology and follows a structured framework throughout.

Being a series of 8 separate case studies, this text is easily and readily divisible into smaller sections. The text was designed to be taken apart and used piece by piece in order to serve various learning contexts. The parts of each case study can also be used independently of each other to facilitate problem solving.

The topics in the case studies are presented clearly. The structure of each of the case studies proceeds in a similar fashion. All of the cases are set within the same hospital so the hospital personnel and service providers reappear across the cases, giving a textured portrayal of the experiences of the various service providers. The cases can be used individually, or one service provider can be studied across the various studies.

The text is very straightforward, without complex charts or images that could become distorted. Many of the embedded links are broken and require updating. The links that do work are a very useful way to define and expand upon medical terms used in the case studies.

Grammatical errors are minimal and do not distract from the flow of the text. In one instance the last name Singh is spelled Sing, and one patient named Fred in the text is referred to as Frank in the appendix.

The cases all show examples of health care personnel providing compassionate, client-centered care, and there is no overt discrimination portrayed. Two of the clients are in same-sex marriages and these are shown positively. It is notable, however, that the two cases presenting people of color contain more negative characteristics than the other six cases portraying Caucasian people. The people of color are the only two examples of clients who smoke regularly. In addition, the Indian client drinks and is overweight, while the First Nations client is the only one in the text to have a terminal diagnosis. The Indian client is identified as being Punjabi and attending a mosque, although there are only 2% Muslims in the Punjab province of India. Also, the last name Singh generally indicates a person who is a Hindu or Sikh, not Muslim.

Reviewed by Monica LeJeune, RN Instructor, LSUE on 4/24/20

Has comprehensive unfolding case studies that guide the reader to recognize and manage the scenario presented. Assists in critical thinking process. read more

Has comprehensive unfolding case studies that guide the reader to recognize and manage the scenario presented. Assists in critical thinking process.

Accurately presents health scenarios with real life assessment techniques and patient outcomes.

Relevant to nursing practice.

Clearly written and easily understood.

Consistent with healthcare terminology and framework

Has a good reading flow.

Topics presented in logical fashion

Easy to read.

No grammatical errors noted.

Text is not culturally insensitive or offensive.

Good book to have to teach nursing students.

Reviewed by april jarrell, associate professor, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College on 1/7/20

The text is a great case study tool that is appropriate for nursing school instructors to use in aiding students to learn the nursing process. read more

The text is a great case study tool that is appropriate for nursing school instructors to use in aiding students to learn the nursing process.

The content is accurate and evidence based. There is no bias noted

The content in the text is relevant, up to date for nursing students. It will be easy to update content as needed because the framework allows for addition to the content.

The text is clear and easy to understand.

Framework and terminology is consistent throughout the text; the case study is a continual and takes the student on a journey with the patient. Great for learning!

The case studies can be easily divided into smaller sections to allow for discussions, and weekly studies.

The text and content progress in a logical, clear fashion allowing for progression of learning.

No interface issues noted with this text.

No grammatical errors noted in the text.

No racial or culture insensitivity were noted in the text.

I would recommend this text be used in nursing schools. The use of case studies are helpful for students to learn and practice the nursing process.

Reviewed by Lisa Underwood, Practical Nursing Instructor, NTCC on 12/3/19

The text provides eight comprehensive case studies that showcase the different viewpoints of the many roles involved in patient care. It encompasses the most common seen diagnoses seen across healthcare today. Each case study comes with its own... read more

The text provides eight comprehensive case studies that showcase the different viewpoints of the many roles involved in patient care. It encompasses the most common seen diagnoses seen across healthcare today. Each case study comes with its own set of learning objectives that can be tweaked to fit several allied health courses. Although the case studies are designed around the Canadian Healthcare System, they are quite easily adaptable to fit most any modern, developed healthcare system.

Content Accuracy rating: 3

Overall, the text is quite accurate. There is one significant error that needs to be addressed. It is located in the DVT case study. In the study, a popliteal artery clot is mislabeled as a DVT. DVTs are located in veins, not in arteries. That said, the case study on the whole is quite good. This case study could be used as a learning tool in the classroom for discussion purposes or as a way to test student understanding of DVTs, on example might be, "Can they spot the error?"

At this time, all of the case studies within the text are current. Healthcare is an ever evolving field that rests on the best evidence based practice. Keeping that in mind, educators can easily adapt the studies as the newest evidence emerges and changes practice in healthcare.

All of the case studies are well written and easy to understand. The text includes several hyperlinks and it also highlights certain medical terminology to prompt readers as a way to enhance their learning experience.

Across the text, the language, style, and format of the case studies are completely consistent.

The text is divided into eight separate case studies. Each case study may be used independently of the others. All case studies are further broken down as the focus patient passes through each aspect of their healthcare system. The text's modularity makes it possible to use a case study as individual work, group projects, class discussions, homework or in a simulation lab.

The case studies and the diagnoses that they cover are presented in such a way that educators and allied health students can easily follow and comprehend.

The book in itself is free of any image distortion and it prints nicely. The text is offered in a variety of digital formats. As noted in the above reviews, some of the hyperlinks have navigational issues. When the reader attempts to access them, a "page not found" message is received.

There were minimal grammatical errors. Some of which may be traced back to the differences in our spelling.

The text is culturally relevant in that it includes patients from many different backgrounds and ethnicities. This allows educators and students to explore cultural relevance and sensitivity needs across all areas in healthcare. I do not believe that the text was in any way insensitive or offensive to the reader.

By using the case studies, it may be possible to have an open dialogue about the differences noted in healthcare systems. Students will have the ability to compare and contrast the Canadian healthcare system with their own. I also firmly believe that by using these case studies, students can improve their critical thinking skills. These case studies help them to "put it all together".

Reviewed by Melanie McGrath, Associate Professor, TRAILS on 11/29/19

The text covered some of the most common conditions seen by healthcare providers in a hospital setting, which forms a solid general base for the discussions based on each case. read more

The text covered some of the most common conditions seen by healthcare providers in a hospital setting, which forms a solid general base for the discussions based on each case.

I saw no areas of inaccuracy

As in all healthcare texts, treatments and/or tests will change frequently. However, everything is currently up-to-date thus it should be a good reference for several years.

Each case is written so that any level of healthcare student would understand. Hyperlinks in the text is also very helpful.

All of the cases are written in a similar fashion.

Although not structured as a typical text, each case is easily assigned as a stand-alone.

Each case is organized clearly in an appropriate manner.

I did not see any issues.

I did not see any grammatical errors

The text seemed appropriately inclusive. There are no pediatric cases and no cases of intellectually-impaired patients, but those types of cases introduce more advanced problem-solving which perhaps exceed the scope of the text. May be a good addition to the text.

I found this text to be an excellent resource for healthcare students in a variety of fields. It would be best utilized in inter professional courses to help guide discussion.

Reviewed by Lynne Umbarger, Clinical Assistant Professor, Occupational Therapy, Emory and Henry College on 11/26/19

While the book does not cover every scenario, the ones in the book are quite common and troublesome for inexperienced allied health students. The information in the book is thorough enough, and I have found the cases easy to modify for educational... read more

While the book does not cover every scenario, the ones in the book are quite common and troublesome for inexperienced allied health students. The information in the book is thorough enough, and I have found the cases easy to modify for educational purposes. The material was easily understood by the students but challenging enough for classroom discussion. There are no mentions in the book about occupational therapy, but it is easy enough to add a couple words and make inclusion simple.

Very nice lab values are provided in the case study, making it more realistic for students.

These case studies focus on commonly encountered diagnoses for allied health and nursing students. They are comprehensive, realistic, and easily understood. The only difference is that the hospital in one case allows the patient's dog to visit in the room (highly unusual in US hospitals).

The material is easily understood by allied health students. The cases have links to additional learning materials for concepts that may be less familiar or should be explored further in a particular health field.

The language used in the book is consistent between cases. The framework is the same with each case which makes it easier to locate areas that would be of interest to a particular allied health profession.

The case studies are comprehensive but well-organized. They are short enough to be useful for class discussion or a full-blown assignment. The students seem to understand the material and have not expressed that any concepts or details were missing.

Each case is set up like the other cases. There are learning objectives at the beginning of each case to facilitate using the case, and it is easy enough to pull out material to develop useful activities and assignments.

There is a quick chart in the Appendix to allow the reader to determine the professions involved in each case as well as the pertinent settings and diagnoses for each case study. The contents are easy to access even while reading the book.

As a person who attends carefully to grammar, I found no errors in all of the material I read in this book.

There are a greater number of people of different ethnicities, socioeconomic status, ages, and genders to make this a very useful book. With each case, I could easily picture the person in the case. This book appears to be Canadian and more inclusive than most American books.

I was able to use this book the first time I accessed it to develop a classroom activity for first-year occupational therapy students and a more comprehensive activity for second-year students. I really appreciate the links to a multitude of terminology and medical lab values/issues for each case. I will keep using this book.

Reviewed by Cindy Krentz, Assistant Professor, Metropolitan State University of Denver on 6/15/19

The book covers eight case studies of common inpatient or emergency department scenarios. I appreciated that they had written out the learning objectives. I liked that the patient was described before the case was started, giving some... read more

The book covers eight case studies of common inpatient or emergency department scenarios. I appreciated that they had written out the learning objectives. I liked that the patient was described before the case was started, giving some understanding of the patient's background. I think it could benefit from having a glossary. I liked how the authors included the vital signs in an easily readable bar. I would have liked to see the labs also highlighted like this. I also felt that it would have been good written in a 'what would you do next?' type of case study.

The book is very accurate in language, what tests would be prudent to run and in the day in the life of the hospital in all cases. One inaccuracy is that the authors called a popliteal artery clot a DVT. The rest of the DVT case study was great, though, but the one mistake should be changed.

The book is up to date for now, but as tests become obsolete and new equipment is routinely used, the book ( like any other health textbook) will need to be updated. It would be easy to change, however. All that would have to happen is that the authors go in and change out the test to whatever newer, evidence-based test is being utilized.

The text is written clearly and easy to understand from a student's perspective. There is not too much technical jargon, and it is pretty universal when used- for example DVT for Deep Vein Thrombosis.

The book is consistent in language and how it is broken down into case studies. The same format is used for highlighting vital signs throughout the different case studies. It's great that the reader does not have to read the book in a linear fashion. Each case study can be read without needing to read the others.

The text is broken down into eight case studies, and within the case studies is broken down into days. It is consistent and shows how the patient can pass through the different hospital departments (from the ER to the unit, to surgery, to home) in a realistic manner. The instructor could use one or more of the case studies as (s)he sees fit.

The topics are eight different case studies- and are presented very clearly and organized well. Each one is broken down into how the patient goes through the system. The text is easy to follow and logical.

The interface has some problems with the highlighted blue links. Some of them did not work and I got a 'page not found' message. That can be frustrating for the reader. I'm wondering if a glossary could be utilized (instead of the links) to explain what some of these links are supposed to explain.

I found two or three typos, I don't think they were grammatical errors. In one case I think the Canadian spelling and the United States spelling of the word are just different.

This is a very culturally competent book. In today's world, however, one more type of background that would merit delving into is the trans-gender, GLBTQI person. I was glad that there were no stereotypes.

I enjoyed reading the text. It was interesting and relevant to today's nursing student. Since we are becoming more interprofessional, I liked that we saw what the phlebotomist and other ancillary personnel (mostly different technicians) did. I think that it could become even more interdisciplinary so colleges and universities could have more interprofessional education- courses or simulations- with the addition of the nurse using social work, nutrition, or other professional health care majors.

Reviewed by Catherine J. Grott, Interim Director, Health Administration Program, TRAILS on 5/5/19

The book is comprehensive but is specifically written for healthcare workers practicing in Canada. The title of the book should reflect this. read more

The book is comprehensive but is specifically written for healthcare workers practicing in Canada. The title of the book should reflect this.

The book is accurate, however it has numerous broken online links.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

The content is very relevant, but some links are out-dated. For example, WHO Guidelines for Safe Surgery 2009 (p. 186) should be updated.

The book is written in clear and concise language. The side stories about the healthcare workers make the text interesting.

The book is consistent in terms of terminology and framework. Some terms that are emphasized in one case study are not emphasized (with online links) in the other case studies. All of the case studies should have the same words linked to online definitions.

Modularity rating: 3

The book can easily be parsed out if necessary. However, the way the case studies have been written, it's evident that different authors contributed singularly to each case study.

The organization and flow are good.

Interface rating: 1

There are numerous broken online links and "pages not found."

The grammar and punctuation are correct. There are two errors detected: p. 120 a space between the word "heart" and the comma; also a period is needed after Dr (p. 113).

I'm not quite sure that the social worker (p. 119) should comment that the patient and partner are "very normal people."

There are roughly 25 broken online links or "pages not found." The BC & Canadian Guidelines (p. 198) could also include a link to US guidelines to make the text more universal . The basilar crackles (p. 166) is very good. Text could be used compare US and Canadian healthcare. Text could be enhanced to teach "soft skills" and interdepartmental communication skills in healthcare.

Reviewed by Lindsey Henry, Practical Nursing Instructor, Fletcher on 5/1/19

I really appreciated how in the introduction, five learning objectives were identified for students. These objectives are paramount in nursing care and they are each spelled out for the learner. Each Case study also has its own learning... read more

I really appreciated how in the introduction, five learning objectives were identified for students. These objectives are paramount in nursing care and they are each spelled out for the learner. Each Case study also has its own learning objectives, which were effectively met in the readings.

As a seasoned nurse, I believe that the content regarding pathophysiology and treatments used in the case studies were accurate. I really appreciated how many of the treatments were also explained and rationales were given, which can be very helpful to facilitate effective learning for a nursing student or novice nurse.

The case studies are up to date and correlate with the current time period. They are easily understood.

I really loved how several important medical terms, including specific treatments were highlighted to alert the reader. Many interventions performed were also explained further, which is great to enhance learning for the nursing student or novice nurse. Also, with each scenario, a background and history of the patient is depicted, as well as the perspectives of the patient, patients family member, and the primary nurse. This really helps to give the reader a full picture of the day in the life of a nurse or a patient, and also better facilitates the learning process of the reader.

These case studies are consistent. They begin with report, the patient background or updates on subsequent days, and follow the patients all the way through discharge. Once again, I really appreciate how this book describes most if not all aspects of patient care on a day to day basis.

Each case study is separated into days. While they can be divided to be assigned at different points within the course, they also build on each other. They show trends in vital signs, what happens when a patient deteriorates, what happens when they get better and go home. Showing the entire process from ER admit to discharge is really helpful to enhance the students learning experience.

The topics are all presented very similarly and very clearly. The way that the scenarios are explained could even be understood by a non-nursing student as well. The case studies are very clear and very thorough.

The book is very easy to navigate, prints well on paper, and is not distorted or confusing.

I did not see any grammatical errors.

Each case study involves a different type of patient. These differences include race, gender, sexual orientation and medical backgrounds. I do not feel the text was offensive to the reader.

I teach practical nursing students and after reading this book, I am looking forward to implementing it in my classroom. Great read for nursing students!

Reviewed by Leah Jolly, Instructor, Clinical Coordinator, Oregon Institute of Technology on 4/10/19

Good variety of cases and pathologies covered. read more

Good variety of cases and pathologies covered.

Content Accuracy rating: 2

Some examples and scenarios are not completely accurate. For example in the DVT case, the sonographer found thrombus in the "popliteal artery", which according to the book indicated presence of DVT. However in DVT, thrombus is located in the vein, not the artery. The patient would also have much different symptoms if located in the artery. Perhaps some of these inaccuracies are just typos, but in real-life situations this simple mistake can make a world of difference in the patient's course of treatment and outcomes.

Good examples of interprofessional collaboration. If only it worked this way on an every day basis!

Clear and easy to read for those with knowledge of medical terminology.

Good consistency overall.

Broken up well.

Topics are clear and logical.

Would be nice to simply click through to the next page, rather than going through the table of contents each time.

Minor typos/grammatical errors.

No offensive or insensitive materials observed.

Reviewed by Alex Sargsyan, Doctor of Nursing Practice/Assistant Professor , East Tennessee State University on 10/8/18

Because of the case study character of the book it does not have index or glossary. However it has summary for each health case study outlining key elements discussed in each case study. read more

Because of the case study character of the book it does not have index or glossary. However it has summary for each health case study outlining key elements discussed in each case study.

Overall the book is accurately depicting the clinical environment. There are numerous references to external sites. While most of them are correct, some of them are not working. For example Homan’s test link is not working "404 error"

Book is relevant in its current version and can be used in undergraduate and graduate classes. That said, the longevity of the book may be limited because of the character of the clinical education. Clinical guidelines change constantly and it may require a major update of the content.

Cases are written very clearly and have realistic description of an inpatient setting.

The book is easy to read and consistent in the language in all eight cases.

The cases are very well written. Each case is subdivided into logical segments. The segments reflect different setting where the patient is being seen. There is a flow and transition between the settings.

Book has eight distinct cases. This is a great format for a book that presents distinct clinical issues. This will allow the students to have immersive experiences and gain better understanding of the healthcare environment.

Book is offered in many different formats. Besides the issues with the links mentioned above, overall navigation of the book content is very smooth.

Book is very well written and has no grammatical errors.

Book is culturally relevant. Patients in the case studies come different cultures and represent diverse ethnicities.

Reviewed by Justin Berry, Physical Therapist Assistant Program Director, Northland Community and Technical College, East Grand Forks, MN on 8/2/18

This text provides eight patient case studies from a variety of diagnoses, which can be utilized by healthcare students from multiple disciplines. The cases are comprehensive and can be helpful for students to determine professional roles,... read more

This text provides eight patient case studies from a variety of diagnoses, which can be utilized by healthcare students from multiple disciplines. The cases are comprehensive and can be helpful for students to determine professional roles, interprofessional roles, when to initiate communication with other healthcare practitioners due to a change in patient status, and treatment ideas. Some additional patient information, such as lab values, would have been beneficial to include.

Case study information is accurate and unbiased.

Content is up to date. The case studies are written in a way so that they will not be obsolete soon, even with changes in healthcare.

The case studies are well written, and can be utilized for a variety of classroom assignments, discussions, and projects. Some additional lab value information for each patient would have been a nice addition.

The case studies are consistently organized to make it easy for the reader to determine the framework.

The text is broken up into eight different case studies for various patient diagnoses. This design makes it highly modular, and would be easy to assign at different points of a course.

The flow of the topics are presented consistently in a logical manner. Each case study follows a patient chronologically, making it easy to determine changes in patient status and treatment options.

The text is free of interface issues, with no distortion of images or charts.

The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way. Patients are represented from a variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds

This book would be a good addition for many different health programs.

Reviewed by Ann Bell-Pfeifer, Instructor/Program Director, Minnesota State Community and Technical College on 5/21/18

The book gives a comprehensive overview of many types of cases for patient conditions. Emergency Room patients may arrive with COPD, heart failure, sepsis, pneumonia, or as motor vehicle accident victims. It is directed towards nurses, medical... read more

The book gives a comprehensive overview of many types of cases for patient conditions. Emergency Room patients may arrive with COPD, heart failure, sepsis, pneumonia, or as motor vehicle accident victims. It is directed towards nurses, medical laboratory technologists, medical radiology technologists, and respiratory therapists and their roles in caring for patients. Most of the overview is accurate. One suggestion is to provide an embedded radiologist interpretation of the exams which are performed which lead to the patients diagnosis.

Overall the book is accurate. Would like to see updates related to the addition of direct radiography technology which is commonly used in the hospital setting.

Many aspects of medicine will remain constant. The case studies seem fairly accurate and may be relevant for up to 3 years. Since technology changes so quickly in medicine, the CT and x-ray components may need minor updates within a few years.

The book clarity is excellent.

The case stories are consistent with each scenario. It is easy to follow the structure and learn from the content.

The book is quite modular. It is easy to break it up into cases and utilize them individually and sequentially.

The cases are listed by disease process and follow a logical flow through each condition. They are easy to follow as they have the same format from the beginning to the end of each case.

The interface seems seamless. Hyperlinks are inserted which provide descriptions and references to medical procedures and in depth definitions.

The book is free of most grammatical errors. There is a place where a few words do not fit the sentence structure and could be a typo.

The book included all types of relationships and ethnic backgrounds. One type which could be added is a transgender patient.

I think the book was quite useful for a variety of health care professionals. The authors did an excellent job of integrating patient cases which could be applied to the health care setting. The stories seemed real and relevant. This book could be used to teach health care professionals about integrated care within the emergency department.

Reviewed by Shelley Wolfe, Assistant Professor, Winona State University on 5/21/18

This text is comprised of comprehensive, detailed case studies that provide the reader with multiple character views throughout a patient’s encounter with the health care system. The Table of Contents accurately reflected the content. It should... read more

This text is comprised of comprehensive, detailed case studies that provide the reader with multiple character views throughout a patient’s encounter with the health care system. The Table of Contents accurately reflected the content. It should be noted that the authors include a statement that conveys that this text is not like traditional textbooks and is not meant to be read in a linear fashion. This allows the educator more flexibility to use the text as a supplement to enhance learning opportunities.

The content of the text appears accurate and unbiased. The “five overarching learning objectives” provide a clear aim of the text and the educator is able to glean how these objectives are captured into each of the case studies. While written for the Canadian healthcare system, this text is easily adaptable to the American healthcare system.

Overall, the content is up-to-date and the case studies provide a variety of uses that promote longevity of the text. However, not all of the blue font links (if using the digital PDF version) were still in working order. I encountered links that led to error pages or outdated “page not found” websites. While the links can be helpful, continued maintenance of these links could prove time-consuming.

I found the text easy to read and understand. I enjoyed that the viewpoints of all the different roles (patient, nurse, lab personnel, etc.) were articulated well and allowed the reader to connect and gain appreciation of the entire healthcare team. Medical jargon was noted to be appropriate for the intended audience of this text.

The terminology and organization of this text is consistent.

The text is divided into 8 case studies that follow a similar organizational structure. The case studies can further be divided to focus on individual learning objectives. For example, the case studies could be looked at as a whole for discussing communication or could be broken down into segments to focus on disease risk factors.

The case studies in this text follow a similar organizational structure and are consistent in their presentation. The flow of individual case studies is excellent and sets the reader on a clear path. As noted previously, this text is not meant to be read in a linear fashion.

This text is available in many different forms. I chose to review the text in the digital PDF version in order to use the embedded links. I did not encounter significant interface issues and did not find any images or features that would distract or confuse a reader.

No significant grammatical errors were noted.

The case studies in this text included patients and healthcare workers from a variety of backgrounds. Educators and students will benefit from expanding the case studies to include discussions and other learning opportunities to help develop culturally-sensitive healthcare providers.

I found the case studies to be very detailed, yet written in a way in which they could be used in various manners. The authors note a variety of ways in which the case studies could be employed with students; however, I feel the authors could also include that the case studies could be used as a basis for simulated clinical experiences. The case studies in this text would be an excellent tool for developing interprofessional communication and collaboration skills in a variety healthcare students.

Reviewed by Darline Foltz, Assistant Professor, University of Cincinnati - Clermont College on 3/27/18

This book covers all areas listed in the Table of Contents. In addition to the detailed patient case studies, there is a helpful section of "How to Use this Resource". I would like to note that this resource "aligns with the open textbooks... read more

This book covers all areas listed in the Table of Contents. In addition to the detailed patient case studies, there is a helpful section of "How to Use this Resource". I would like to note that this resource "aligns with the open textbooks Clinical Procedures for Safer Patient Care and Anatomy and Physiology: OpenStax" as noted by the authors.

The book appears to be accurate. Although one of the learning outcomes is as follows: "Demonstrate an understanding of the Canadian healthcare delivery system.", I did not find anything that is ONLY specific to the Canadian healthcare delivery system other than some of the terminology, i.e. "porter" instead of "transporter" and a few french words. I found this to make the book more interesting for students rather than deter from it. These are patient case studies that are relevant in any country.

The content is up-to-date. Changes in medical science may occur, i.e. a different test, to treat a diagnosis that is included in one or more of the case studies, however, it would be easy and straightforward to implement these changes.

This book is written in lucid, accessible prose. The technical/medical terminology that is used is appropriate for medical and allied health professionals. Something that would improve this text would to provide a glossary of terms for the terms in blue font.

This book is consistent with current medical terminology

This text is easily divided into each of the 6 case studies. The case studies can be used singly according to the body system being addressed or studied.

Because this text is a collection of case studies, flow doesn't pertain, however the organization and structure of the case studies are excellent as they are clear and easy to read.

There are no distractions in this text that would distract or confuse the reader.

I did not identify any grammatical errors.

This text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way and uses patients and healthcare workers that are of a variety of races, ethnicities and backgrounds.

I believe that this text would not only be useful to students enrolled in healthcare professions involved in direct patient care but would also be useful to students in supporting healthcare disciplines such as health information technology and management, medical billing and coding, etc.

Table of Contents

• Introduction

Case Study #1: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

• Learning Objectives
• Patient: Erin Johns
• Emergency Room

Case Study #2: Pneumonia

• Day 0: Emergency Room
• Day 1: Emergency Room
• Day 1: Medical Ward
• Day 2: Medical Ward
• Day 3: Medical Ward
• Day 4: Medical Ward

Case Study #3: Unstable Angina (UA)

• Patient: Harj Singh

Case Study #4: Heart Failure (HF)

• Patient: Meryl Smith
• In the Supermarket
• Day 0: Medical Ward

Case Study #5: Motor Vehicle Collision (MVC)

• Patient: Aaron Knoll
• Crash Scene
• Operating Room
• Post Anaesthesia Care Unit (PACU)
• Surgical Ward

Case Study #6: Sepsis

• Patient: George Thomas
• Sleepy Hollow Care Facility

Case Study #7: Colon Cancer

• Patient: Fred Johnson
• Two Months Ago
• Pre-Surgery Admission

Case Study #8: Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)

• Patient: Jamie Douglas

Appendix: Overview About the Authors

Ancillary Material

About the book.

Health Case Studies is composed of eight separate health case studies. Each case study includes the patient narrative or story that models the best practice (at the time of publishing) in healthcare settings. Associated with each case is a set of specific learning objectives to support learning and facilitate educational strategies and evaluation.

The case studies can be used online in a learning management system, in a classroom discussion, in a printed course pack or as part of a textbook created by the instructor. This flexibility is intentional and allows the educator to choose how best to convey the concepts presented in each case to the learner.

Because these case studies were primarily developed for an electronic healthcare system, they are based predominantly in an acute healthcare setting. Educators can augment each case study to include primary healthcare settings, outpatient clinics, assisted living environments, and other contexts as relevant.

About the Contributors

Glynda Rees teaches at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) in Vancouver, British Columbia. She completed her MSN at the University of British Columbia with a focus on education and health informatics, and her BSN at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Glynda has many years of national and international clinical experience in critical care units in South Africa, the UK, and the USA. Her teaching background has focused on clinical education, problem-based learning, clinical techniques, and pharmacology.

Glynda‘s interests include the integration of health informatics in undergraduate education, open accessible education, and the impact of educational technologies on nursing students’ clinical judgment and decision making at the point of care to improve patient safety and quality of care.

Faculty member in the critical care nursing program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) since 2003, Rob has been a critical care nurse for over 25 years with 17 years practicing in a quaternary care intensive care unit. Rob is an experienced educator and supports student learning in the classroom, online, and in clinical areas. Rob’s Master of Education from Simon Fraser University is in educational technology and learning design. He is passionate about using technology to support learning for both faculty and students.

Part of Rob’s faculty position is dedicated to providing high fidelity simulation support for BCIT’s nursing specialties program along with championing innovative teaching and best practices for educational technology. He has championed the use of digital publishing and was the tech lead for Critical Care Nursing’s iPad Project which resulted in over 40 multi-touch interactive textbooks being created using Apple and other technologies.

Rob has successfully completed a number of specialist certifications in computer and network technologies. In 2015, he was awarded Apple Distinguished Educator for his innovation and passionate use of technology to support learning. In the past five years, he has presented and published abstracts on virtual simulation, high fidelity simulation, creating engaging classroom environments, and what the future holds for healthcare and education.

Janet Morrison is the Program Head of Occupational Health Nursing at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) in Burnaby, British Columbia. She completed a PhD at Simon Fraser University, Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology, with a focus on health information technology. Her dissertation examined the effects of telehealth implementation in an occupational health nursing service. She has an MA in Adult Education from St. Francis Xavier University and an MA in Library and Information Studies from the University of British Columbia.

Janet’s research interests concern the intended and unintended impacts of health information technologies on healthcare students, faculty, and the healthcare workforce.

She is currently working with BCIT colleagues to study how an educational clinical information system can foster healthcare students’ perceptions of interprofessional roles.

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How to present patient cases

• Related content
• Peer review
• Mary Ni Lochlainn , foundation year 2 doctor 1 ,
• Ibrahim Balogun , healthcare of older people/stroke medicine consultant 1
• 1 East Kent Foundation Trust, UK

A guide on how to structure a case presentation

This article contains...

-History of presenting problem

-Medical and surgical history

-Drugs, including allergies to drugs

-Family history

-Social history

-Review of systems

-Findings on examination, including vital signs and observations

-Differential diagnosis/impression

-Investigations

-Management

Presenting patient cases is a key part of everyday clinical practice. A well delivered presentation has the potential to facilitate patient care and improve efficiency on ward rounds, as well as a means of teaching and assessing clinical competence. 1

The purpose of a case presentation is to communicate your diagnostic reasoning to the listener, so that he or she has a clear picture of the patient’s condition and further management can be planned accordingly. 2 To give a high quality presentation you need to take a thorough history. Consultants make decisions about patient care based on information presented to them by junior members of the team, so the importance of accurately presenting your patient cannot be overemphasised.

As a medical student, you are likely to be asked to present in numerous settings. A formal case presentation may take place at a teaching session or even at a conference or scientific meeting. These presentations are usually thorough and have an accompanying PowerPoint presentation or poster. More often, case presentations take place on the wards or over the phone and tend to be brief, using only memory or short, handwritten notes as an aid.

Everyone has their own presenting style, and the context of the presentation will determine how much detail you need to put in. You should anticipate what information your senior colleagues will need to know about the patient’s history and the care he or she has received since admission, to enable them to make further management decisions. In this article, I use a fictitious case to show how you can structure case presentations, which can be adapted to different clinical and teaching settings (box 1).

Box 1: Structure for presenting patient cases

Presenting problem, history of presenting problem, medical and surgical history.

Drugs, including allergies to drugs

Family history

Social history, review of systems.

Findings on examination, including vital signs and observations

Differential diagnosis/impression

Investigations

Case: tom murphy.

You should start with a sentence that includes the patient’s name, sex (Mr/Ms), age, and presenting symptoms. In your presentation, you may want to include the patient’s main diagnosis if known—for example, “admitted with shortness of breath on a background of COPD [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].” You should include any additional information that might give the presentation of symptoms further context, such as the patient’s profession, ethnic origin, recent travel, or chronic conditions.

“ Mr Tom Murphy is a 56 year old ex-smoker admitted with sudden onset central crushing chest pain that radiated down his left arm.”

In this section you should expand on the presenting problem. Use the SOCRATES mnemonic to help describe the pain (see box 2). If the patient has multiple problems, describe each in turn, covering one system at a time.

Box 2: SOCRATES—mnemonic for pain

Associations

Time course

Exacerbating/relieving factors

“ The pain started suddenly at 1 pm, when Mr Murphy was at his desk. The pain was dull in nature, and radiated down his left arm. He experienced shortness of breath and felt sweaty and clammy. His colleague phoned an ambulance. He rated the pain 9/10 in severity. In the ambulance he was given GTN [glyceryl trinitrate] spray under the tongue, which relieved the pain to 5/10. The pain lasted 30 minutes in total. No exacerbating factors were noted. Of note: Mr Murphy is an ex-smoker with a 20 pack year history”

Some patients have multiple comorbidities, and the most life threatening conditions should be mentioned first. They can also be categorised by organ system—for example, “has a long history of cardiovascular disease, having had a stroke, two TIAs [transient ischaemic attacks], and previous ACS [acute coronary syndrome].” For some conditions it can be worth stating whether a general practitioner or a specialist manages it, as this gives an indication of its severity.

In a surgical case, colleagues will be interested in exercise tolerance and any comorbidity that could affect the patient’s fitness for surgery and anaesthesia. If the patient has had any previous surgical procedures, mention whether there were any complications or reactions to anaesthesia.

“Mr Murphy has a history of type 2 diabetes, well controlled on metformin. He also has hypertension, managed with ramipril, and gout. Of note: he has no history of ischaemic heart disease (relevant negative) (see box 3).”

Box 3: Relevant negatives

Mention any relevant negatives that will help narrow down the differential diagnosis or could be important in the management of the patient, 3 such as any risk factors you know for the condition and any associations that you are aware of. For example, if the differential diagnosis includes a condition that you know can be hereditary, a relevant negative could be the lack of a family history. If the differential diagnosis includes cardiovascular disease, mention the cardiovascular risk factors such as body mass index, smoking, and high cholesterol.

Highlight any recent changes to the patient’s drugs because these could be a factor in the presenting problem. Mention any allergies to drugs or the patient’s non-compliance to a previously prescribed drug regimen.

To link the medical history and the drugs you might comment on them together, either here or in the medical history. “Mrs Walsh’s drugs include regular azathioprine for her rheumatoid arthritis.”Or, “His regular drugs are ramipril 5 mg once a day, metformin 1g three times a day, and allopurinol 200 mg once a day. He has no known drug allergies.”

If the family history is unrelated to the presenting problem, it is sufficient to say “no relevant family history noted.” For hereditary conditions more detail is needed.

“ Mr Murphy’s father experienced a fatal myocardial infarction aged 50.”

Social history should include the patient’s occupation; their smoking, alcohol, and illicit drug status; who they live with; their relationship status; and their sexual history, baseline mobility, and travel history. In an older patient, more detail is usually required, including whether or not they have carers, how often the carers help, and if they need to use walking aids.

“He works as an accountant and is an ex-smoker since five years ago with a 20 pack year history. He drinks about 14 units of alcohol a week. He denies any illicit drug use. He lives with his wife in a two storey house and is independent in all activities of daily living.”

Do not dwell on this section. If something comes up that is relevant to the presenting problem, it should be mentioned in the history of the presenting problem rather than here.

“Systems review showed long standing occasional lower back pain, responsive to paracetamol.”

Findings on examination

Initially, it can be useful to practise presenting the full examination to make sure you don’t leave anything out, but it is rare that you would need to present all the normal findings. Instead, focus on the most important main findings and any abnormalities.

“On examination the patient was comfortable at rest, heart sounds one and two were heard with no additional murmurs, heaves, or thrills. Jugular venous pressure was not raised. No peripheral oedema was noted and calves were soft and non-tender. Chest was clear on auscultation. Abdomen was soft and non-tender and normal bowel sounds were heard. GCS [Glasgow coma scale] was 15, pupils were equal and reactive to light [PEARL], cranial nerves 1-12 were intact, and he was moving all four limbs. Observations showed an early warning score of 1 for a tachycardia of 105 beats/ min. Blood pressure was 150/90 mm Hg, respiratory rate 18 breaths/min, saturations were 98% on room air, and he was apyrexial with a temperature of 36.8 ºC.”

Differential diagnoses

Mentioning one or two of the most likely diagnoses is sufficient. A useful phrase you can use is, “I would like to rule out,” especially when you suspect a more serious cause is in the differential diagnosis. “History and examination were in keeping with diverticular disease; however, I would like to rule out colorectal cancer in this patient.”

Remember common things are common, so try not to mention rare conditions first. Sometimes it is acceptable to report investigations you would do first, and then base your differential diagnosis on what the history and investigation findings tell you.

“My impression is acute coronary syndrome. The differential diagnosis includes other cardiovascular causes such as acute pericarditis, myocarditis, aortic stenosis, aortic dissection, and pulmonary embolism. Possible respiratory causes include pneumonia or pneumothorax. Gastrointestinal causes include oesophageal spasm, oesophagitis, gastro-oesophageal reflux disease, gastritis, cholecystitis, and acute pancreatitis. I would also consider a musculoskeletal cause for the pain.”

This section can include a summary of the investigations already performed and further investigations that you would like to request. “On the basis of these differentials, I would like to carry out the following investigations: 12 lead electrocardiography and blood tests, including full blood count, urea and electrolytes, clotting screen, troponin levels, lipid profile, and glycated haemoglobin levels. I would also book a chest radiograph and check the patient’s point of care blood glucose level.”

You should consider recommending investigations in a structured way, prioritising them by how long they take to perform and how easy it is to get them done and how long it takes for the results to come back. Put the quickest and easiest first: so bedside tests, electrocardiography, followed by blood tests, plain radiology, then special tests. You should always be able to explain why you would like to request a test. Mention the patient’s baseline test values if they are available, especially if the patient has a chronic condition—for example, give the patient’s creatinine levels if he or she has chronic kidney disease This shows the change over time and indicates the severity of the patient’s current condition.

“To further investigate these differentials, 12 lead electrocardiography was carried out, which showed ST segment depression in the anterior leads. Results of laboratory tests showed an initial troponin level of 85 µg/L, which increased to 1250 µg/L when repeated at six hours. Blood test results showed raised total cholesterol at 7.6 mmol /L and nil else. A chest radiograph showed clear lung fields. Blood glucose level was 6.3 mmol/L; a glycated haemoglobin test result is pending.”

Dependent on the case, you may need to describe the management plan so far or what further management you would recommend.“My management plan for this patient includes ACS [acute coronary syndrome] protocol, echocardiography, cardiology review, and treatment with high dose statins. If you are unsure what the management should be, you should say that you would discuss further with senior colleagues and the patient. At this point, check to see if there is a treatment escalation plan or a “do not attempt to resuscitate” order in place.

“Mr Murphy was given ACS protocol in the emergency department. An echocardiogram has been requested and he has been discussed with cardiology, who are going to come and see him. He has also been started on atorvastatin 80 mg nightly. Mr Murphy and his family are happy with this plan.”

The summary can be a concise recap of what you have presented beforehand or it can sometimes form a standalone presentation. Pick out salient points, such as positive findings—but also draw conclusions from what you highlight. Finish with a brief synopsis of the current situation (“currently pain free”) and next step (“awaiting cardiology review”). Do not trail off at the end, and state the diagnosis if you are confident you know what it is. If you are not sure what the diagnosis is then communicate this uncertainty and do not pretend to be more confident than you are. When possible, you should include the patient’s thoughts about the diagnosis, how they are feeling generally, and if they are happy with the management plan.

“In summary, Mr Murphy is a 56 year old man admitted with central crushing chest pain, radiating down his left arm, of 30 minutes’ duration. His cardiac risk factors include 20 pack year smoking history, positive family history, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. Examination was normal other than tachycardia. However, 12 lead electrocardiography showed ST segment depression in the anterior leads and troponin rise from 85 to 250 µg/L. Acute coronary syndrome protocol was initiated and a diagnosis of NSTEMI [non-ST elevation myocardial infarction] was made. Mr Murphy is currently pain free and awaiting cardiology review.”

Originally published as: Student BMJ 2017;25:i4406

Competing interests: None declared.

Provenance and peer review: Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed

• ↵ Green EH, Durning SJ, DeCherrie L, Fagan MJ, Sharpe B, Hershman W. Expectations for oral case presentations for clinical clerks: opinions of internal medicine clerkship directors. J Gen Intern Med 2009 ; 24 : 370 - 3 . doi:10.1007/s11606-008-0900-x   pmid:19139965 . OpenUrl CrossRef PubMed Web of Science
• ↵ Olaitan A, Okunade O, Corne J. How to present clinical cases. Student BMJ 2010;18:c1539.
• ↵ Gaillard F. The secret art of relevant negatives, Radiopedia 2016; http://radiopaedia.org/blog/the-secret-art-of-relevant-negatives .

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Free 11+ medical case study templates in pdf | ms word, 1. medical student case study, 2. medical journal case study, 3. medical center case study, 4. emergency medical treatment case study, 5. research in medical education case study, 6. medical device connectivity case study, 7. medical nutrition therapy case study, 8. medical center anesthesia manager case study, 9. medical database case study, 10. mobile medical units case study, 11. medical center governance case study, 12. medical accommodation case study, 8 steps on how to write a case study, research templates.

A case study refers to a method or record of research on the creation over a period of time of a given person, community, or circumstance. In other words, it is a research method in the social and life sciences which involves an up-close, in-depth, and concise overview of a specific subject or topic. It is a research methodology and/or an empirical analysis that explores a topic in the context of its real life. A medical case study is the study of some specific operations in the medical field.

Step 1: Determine the Topic

Step 2: do your research, step 3: provide a good summary.

• It must be informative.
• It should summarize the narrative by presenting the client and their specific problems.
• It should be able to illustrate what the main outcomes were.
• It should illustrate primary outcomes like 1 or 2 statistics that bring the takeaway message home.

Step 5: Make a Rough Draft

• Identify at least two to five key issues.
• Determine the purpose of their existence.
• Determine their impact on the organization.
• Determine who is in charge of them.
• Study the readings of the course, the interviews , the background beyond the case study.
• Find compelling evidence that will support benefits and drawbacks. You need to ask yourself if the approach is realistic or not.

Step 6: Provide an Introduction

Step 7: insert the required elements, step 8: proofread, more in research templates, hospital medical certificate template, medical certificate for casual leave template, hospital death certificate template, online medical report template, standard medical report template, medical summary report template, medical incident report template, medical report template, patient report template, clinical evaluation report template.

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• referenced guidelines
• assess the efficacy or effectiveness of new interventions, new drugs, unlicensed substances, or lifestyle changes
• describe drug efficacy, drug interactions or adverse drug effects in patients enrolled in ongoing clinical trials
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• have been previously submitted to a preprint server as there are patient confidentiality concerns
• have more than one case (case series). If we feel that an article is strengthened by the inclusion of more than one case, we may consider the article provided it includes no more than three patients. Please contact the editor-in-chief before submitting a case series
• the learning outcomes should be important and novel
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• The content and focus of the video must relate directly to the case report
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• authors are required to declare in the author statement that they are the patient in the case report, this statement will appear in the case report
• we do not publish case reports where the patient is the sole author or the patient is a relative of the author
• the report will require careful anonymisation - patients with concerns about anonymity are advised not to co-author manuscripts but to add their patient perspective instead
• we require consent from everyone whose medical information is disclosed in the manuscript (e.g., parents, siblings, etc)
• signature of the consent form should be after the patient has seen and approved the manuscript
• if the manuscript is substantially changed as a result of revisions, the authors should confirm that the patient has seen and approved the final manuscript
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• after publication of a case report, should authors wish to submit a second manuscript describing the progress of the same patient, up to date informed consent will be needed with a new consent form signed by the patient
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• childhood age ranges include preterm neonatal, term neonatal (birth – 27 days), infancy (28 days – 12 months), toddler (13 months – 2 years), early childhood (2 – 5 years), middle childhood (6 – 11 years), early adolescence (12 – 18 years) and late adolescence (19 – 21 years)

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How to Write Your First Clinical Case Report

Do you remember when your first publication of a clinical case was? Most likely when you were a medical student or resident. Although the process for young authors is rewarding once the manuscript gets accepted, the writing and revision process can be exhausting. For some early career authors, it can be difficult to find a starting point. What is the main advice that the JACC: Case Reports editorial board can give you for publishing a clinical case? After having handled more than 9,000 submissions to the journal in the last 3 years, here is what we think.

Select the Journal of Submission and Look at the Literature

Before you submit your manuscript, carefully peruse the potential journals of submission and read the author instructions for those journals. It is important to ensure that the journal of submission is the right one for your work. Carefully considering journal selection will allow you to avoid disappointment if the journal’s audience is not the best fit for your clinical case. Journals will also vary in styles and format offerings, so the first step should always be to visit the instructions for that particular journal to ensure that one of the formats is appropriate for your case.

Furthermore, before you begin to write the case, perform a comprehensive literature search. Just because it is new to you does not mean that the findings or topics are novel in the context of the published literature. A manuscript also reflects your work as a clinician, so make sure that you submit a case that best reflects your clinical achievements.

Structure Your Report

Once you have selected the journal of submission, carefully reread the author instructions to structure your submission. The JACC: Case Reports authors instructions suggest a specific structure for a clinical case: history of presentation, physical examination, past medical history, differential diagnosis, investigations, management (medical/interventions), discussion, follow-up, conclusions, and learning objectives. For a clinical case, it is important to document the patient’s presentation and the physical examination. For example, in a patient with acute pulmonary embolism, it is important to document blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate.

Another important component of the clinical case is the differential diagnosis, in which you should explain why you ended up with the final diagnosis. We do not wish to see a bullet point listing of possible diagnoses, but rather a narrative explanation of why you excluded other clinical issues. When you describe management, do not hesitate to describe any procedural complications. We learn from our mistakes, and a complication may be of great educational value for the medical community. When the JACC: Case Reports editorial board makes a call for procedural complications cases, we typically receive a decent number of malpractice cases. Therefore, make sure that you describe appropriate, guideline-directed clinical practice. Proper management can also a product of good mentorship, which I discuss later in this paper.

The Discussion section is crucial because it explains why your case merits publication. Why is it important to the medical community? Is it going to lead to further research that may eventually change clinical practice? Even if you did not follow clinical guidelines, this is important for us, because it is through clinical cases that we identify gaps in evidence that should be addressed.

Remember that there are also other formats for the journal, and you may choose a different format that better suits your case report.

Include High-Quality Imaging

The foundation of a clinical case is imaging, and this should reflect the high quality standards of the JACC family of journals. As an interactive journal with audiovisual multimedia, do not forget to upload complementary videos when relevant to the reader’s understanding of the case. Investigations such as echocardiograms and angiograms are crucial for the management of the patient and should be included. Remember to remove any patient identifying or institutional information from figures and videos, detach background noise from videos, and upload the original mp4 file from your institution’s system. Video recordings of echocardiograms and angiography from your cell phone may detract from the quality of the videos.

Request Senior Supervision as You Write and Revise Your Submission

Many submissions to the journal are rejected without review because of a lack of interest for the journal’s readership or a lack of sufficient novelty. However, rejection may often occur because the clinical case is poorly written if the junior author had not received oversight from the senior colleagues who are acknowledged in the manuscript. This is a learning process for junior authors: send it to your peers/senior coauthors with a deadline for comments, include those who have worked on the patient, and make sure that every author has read the manuscript and consented to the final version of submission. This is teamwork.

For early career authors, we are proud to have started the JACC: Case Reports Reviewer Mentoring Program, which aims to teach colleagues about the art of peer review, the publication process, and writing good cases and original research manuscripts. If you are interested, stay tuned for communications from the American College of Cardiology education team to apply to the next iteration of the program in 2023.

Be Respectful in the Communications Surrounding Your Manuscript

It is respectful (and helpful) to the journal’s editors to provide a cover letter explaining why you feel that your clinical case merits publication. The cover letter can also include information about how the case might be accepted for presentation at an upcoming scientific meeting, requests for expedited review, or details about conflicts of interest.

Be careful to correctly write the name of the Editor-in-Chief. Personally, I often see my name being written Graspa rather than Grapsa. It is the legacy of my father—Greek and the surname means “writer.” Although we never reject a manuscript because an Editor-in-Chief’s surname is wrong or misspelled, this can hold up the processing of your paper and leave an impression on the editors that the authors did not take time and care to prepare all manuscript materials.

Furthermore, even though social media is commonly used in the medical community to discuss publications, this is not the proper channel for authors to submit a presubmission query. Messaging the editors on social media is unfair to the other authors who choose to submit their work for peer review. Addressing queries from authors on social media would also be unfair to the authors, because our decisions are group-led through our weekly editorial board meetings, and those messages are unsecure because they are housed on social media platforms. All presubmission queries should be sent to the Editorial Office ( [email protected] ), and staff members will triage any questions or issues to the editors.

We always ask our editors, reviewers, editorialists, and staff to be respectful in communications surrounding your manuscript. We make every effort to provide constructive feedback, even if the manuscript is rejected. With that in mind, we request that authors are also respectful of our editors, reviewers, editorialists, and all those working in the Editorial Office.

Be Persistent: Do Not Get Disappointed or Discouraged

Even if your clinical case is rejected, it may not necessarily have been because of quality. It is possible there were reasons it did not reach priority for publication in that particular journal. For example, many other cases on that topic may already have been accepted/published. If the case has been accepted with revision after peer review, try to address the editors’ and reviewers’ comments and resubmit as soon as possible. A clinical case can easily get outdated if the authors delay submitting a revised version, particularly because of novelty concerns. If your case is rejected, do not get disappointed or discouraged. You may submit your case to another journal with a better outcome. Remember that we learn from a rejection letter, particularly if there are constructive comments included in the letter, and every positive or negative answer is an opportunity for us to grow.

Submit Your Case: The Sky Is the Limit

As a last message, to all of the young authors who are trying to get their clinical cases published, remember that the “sky is the limit”—be creative, find a good mentor, and write up an interesting case. Once your manuscript is accepted, it is just the beginning of your academic career.

At JACC: Case Reports , we are always willing to help you through the submission process. Please send any presubmission queries to the Editorial Office: [email protected] . Furthermore, you may wish to watch the video featuring JACC: Case Reports Deputy Editor, Dr Mary Walsh, and Associate Editor, Dr David, discussing tips and tricks for how to write a successful clinical case.

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Fatal Traffic Risks With a Total Solar Eclipse in the US

• 1 Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• 2 Evaluative Clinical Science Platform, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• 3 Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• 4 Division of General Internal Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• 5 Center for Leading Injury Prevention Practice Education & Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• 6 Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• 7 Centre for Clinical Epidemiology & Evaluation, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

A total solar eclipse occurs when the moon temporarily obscures the sun and casts a dark shadow across the earth. This astronomical spectacle has been described for more than 3 millennia and can be predicted with high precision. Eclipse-related solar retinopathy (vision loss from staring at the sun) is an established medical complication; however, other medical outcomes have received little attention. 1

Read More About

Redelmeier DA , Staples JA. Fatal Traffic Risks With a Total Solar Eclipse in the US. JAMA Intern Med. Published online March 25, 2024. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2023.5234

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© 2024

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Watermelon and Chronic Kidney Disease: Understanding the Risks of High Potassium Intake from Case Studies

A s the mercury rises, many envision the joy of biting into a crisp, juicy slice of watermelon. Yet, this summertime staple may pose unexpected health risks for the 14% of American adults suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD). A collection of three case studies recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, watermelon’s high potassium content can have potentially life-threatening consequences for individuals with CKD.

The dangers of hyperkalemia, a condition characterized by elevated levels of potassium in the blood, are particularly acute for CKD patients. Their impaired kidneys struggle to filter and excrete potassium efficiently, a situation that can escalate when consuming potassium-rich foods such as watermelon. The case studies reveal three CKD patients who developed hyperkalemia after eating large quantities of watermelon over several weeks to months.

One case involved a 56-year-old man with severe CKD and insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes who experienced a syncope episode and was found to have a potassium level of 7 mmol/L – significantly higher than the normal range. His regular consumption of “large amounts” of watermelon was identified as a key factor in his hyperkalemia, alongside his CKD and medication. Another patient, a 72-year-old man with a history of ischemic cardiomyopathy, developed ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation, serious heart rhythm disturbances, after drinking watermelon juice daily. In both cases, reducing intake of high-potassium foods, including watermelon, brought their potassium levels back to normal.

These findings underscore the importance of potassium regulation in CKD patients. While the general population is encouraged by the World Health Organization to increase potassium intake for cardiovascular benefits, those with kidney disease must tread more cautiously. Potassium plays a crucial role in cellular function, regulating heartbeat and muscle contractions, but balance is key.

Relevant articles:

– 14% of American adults are affected by chronic kidney disease – and anyone in that category should be very careful about how much watermelon they eat | A new series of case studies examines how a favorite fruit can cause life-threatening issues.

– Potassium: Uses, Benefits, Side Effects, Dosage , Verywell Health, Fri, 01 Mar 2024 08:00:00 GMT

– 10 Potential Side Effects of Eating Veggies: What You Need to Know , Everyday Health, Fri, 05 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT