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Presented at CRC course KFMC on January 26, 2020, by Prof Omar Hasan Kasule Sr Professor of Epidemiology and Bioethics, King Fahad Medical City.
CONTENTS OF A CASE REPORT (narrative on one patient)
• Patient demographics
• symptoms,
• signs,
• diagnosis,
• Treatment,
• Response to treatment
• Literature review (case reports with review of the literature)
CASE SERIES (narrative on 2 or more patients)
• Report of symptoms, signs, treatment, and response for 2 or more patients
• A case series is usually no more than 10-15 patients
• Case study report on a larger number of patients is analyzed statistically and is considered research
WHY A CASE REPORT?
• Rare disease
• Unexpected disease presentation or diagnosis
• Rare or unexpected cause of disease or adverse
• New therapeutic approach
• Unexpected anatomy or physiology
ADVANTAGES OF CASE REPORTS
• Detection of new phenomena
• Cover all aspects of disease care in one report
• Used for medical education as problem-based learning
• Case reports can identify new findings and generate hypotheses for further research
• Quick to prepare and publish
• Special journals for case reports
DISADVANTAGES OF CASE REPORTS
• Case reports are not reliable because they are not based on scientific sampling
• Case reports are at the bottom of the ladder of evidence because they are anecdotal evidence
• Publication bias because only the rare and exotic get published
• Not accessible, general journals publish few
EXAMPLE OF A CASE REPORT 1
EXAMPLE OF A CASE REPORT 2
EXAMPLE OF A CASE REPORT 3
EXAMPLE OF A CASE REPORT 4
EXAMPLE OF A CASE REPORT 5