Guide to Writing Case Reports for Medical Journals

In brief

Case reports are a well-established, significant, and well-regarded section of the medical literature. Case report publishing is a priority for both the Journal of Medical Case Reports and the Case Report section of BioMed Central Research Transcripts, and each has its own set of criteria. The Publication of Medical Case Reports was the first worldwide, PubMed-listed medical journal dedicated to case reports from all clinical fields. Thousands of peer-reviewed case reports have been published with a global audience, appreciating the two of them. This casual editorial explains how to write a case report and when to do so and an indication of the editorial process behind each of these related publications.

Introduction

In the medical field, case reports are a time-honoured practice. Physicians of various disciplines have recorded intriguing situations involving all specialisations since Hippocrates, and maybe even further back since the records of ancient Egyptian medicine, through the present day. Published case reports are vital for providing optimal patient care because they can explain key scientific facts that are omitted or unnoticed in medical case study report writing studies and give particular clinical insights, enhancing our knowledge base.

Case reports have become a regular part of the medical literature. There are several examples. Few practising physicians would be unaware of the importance and subsequent discovery of a disease whose first explanation in 1981 began with the title “A preliminary communication on widely widespreadKaposi’s sarcoma in a single young mal” in the medical case report literature. There isn’t a single neurologist I know who isn’t familiar with the condition, which was first described in 1817 by James Parkinson in “An article on the shaking palsy.”

A case report is a detailed description of a patient’s symptoms, signs, diagnosis, therapy, and follow-up in medicine. Although reports usually detail an unusual or unique incidence, they may contain a patient’s demographic data. Some case study writing also consists of an assessment of previous patients that have been published.”

A short history of the BMC series, JMCR, and BMCRN

The BMC series is a collection of open-access, peer-reviewed publications covering a wide range of biological and clinical topics. There are now 65 journals in the series, ranging from BMC Anesthesiology to BMC Women’s Health (in alphabetical order). Some of these journals publish case studies in their fields, while others do not. JMCR is open access online journal published by BMC that focuses on publishing high-quality case study report writing and advancing medical knowledge. Under the auspices of BMC, BMCRN is an online, open-access journal that publishes scientifically sound research in all fields of biology and medicine. The journal serves as a home for brief papers, case studies, and incremental updates to existing work to lessen the academic community’s loss when such findings go unpublished.

The actual case report

Title page

The manuscript’s first page should be devoted to the title page, including the article’s title. The title should contain a clear and concise statement of the case, as well as a list of all authors’ complete names, institutional addresses, and email addresses. There should always be at least one acknowledged the corresponding author. Abbreviations in the title should be avoided at all costs.

Abstract

“Short and simple” should be the theme of the abstract, and it should not be more than 350 words. Within the Abstract, no abbreviations or references should be utilised. Three components should be included in the abstract: Background information and an explanation of why this case is significant and should be recorded. Please specify whether or not this is the first report of its sort in the literature search. Short specifics of what the patient(s) presented with, including the patient’s age, sex, and ethnic background; Case presentation, the brief information of what the patient(s) presented with, including the patient’s age, sex, and ethnic background; Conclusions, a quick summary of what the reader should take away from the case study and the clinical implications.

Keywords

This section contains three to ten keywords representing the article’s core content. It is necessary for indexing and simple internet retrieval of the article.

Introduction (Background)

The case context, including the condition, customary presentation and course, and an explanation of the product if it is a novel disease, should be explained in the Introduction (JMCR) or Background (BMCRN) section. If the case is about an unpleasant medication interaction, the introduction should include frequent use of the medicine and any previously known adverse effects. It should also have a quick overview of the literature. This should serve as an introduction to the case report for individuals unfamiliar with the subject, clearly outlining the background of the issue. It should conclude with a quick summary of the information presented in the article.

Case presentation

This should include all pertinent information about the case. A description of the patient’s relevant demographic details (without adding any details that could lead to the patient’s identification); any relevant medical history of the patient; the patient’s symptoms and signs; any tests that were performed; and a description of any treatment or intervention should be included in the Case presentation section. All patients’ information must be provided if it’s a case study. This section might be divided into subsections with subheadings.

Discussion

This is an optional area in JMCR for supplementary remarks that give extra important material not included in the case presentation and background for the case or explanations for specific treatment decisions.

Conclusions

This section should clearly express the clinical case study report’s primary conclusions and explain their significance and relevance. Is this an original case report relevant to a particular clinical speciality of medicine, or will it have a broader clinical impact? Information on how it will considerably increase our understanding of a disease’s genesis or therapeutic mechanism should be supplied (if appropriate).

About Pubrica

The researchers and authors at Pubrica create scientific and medical research articles that may be invaluable tools for practitioners and authors. By presenting the reader to the deficiencies or gaps in the selected study field, Pubrica medical writers assist you in writing and editing the introduction. Our professionals are familiar with the framework that follows the broad topic, problem, and background to a small issue where the hypothesis is stated.

References

1. Rison, R.A. A guide to writing case reports for the Journal of Medical Case Reports and BioMed Central Research Notes. . J Med Case Reports 7, 239 (2013)
2. Carleton HA, Webb ML: The case report in context. Yale J Biol Med. 2012, 85: 93-96.