title: How to write a patient case report.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Guidelines for writing patient case reports, with a focus on medication-related reports, are provided.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The format of a patient case report encompasses the following five sections: an abstract, an introduction and objective that contain a literature review, a description of the case report, a discussion that includes a detailed explanation of the literature review, a summary of the case, and a conclusion. The abstract of a patient case report should succinctly include the four sections of the main text of the report. The introduction section should provide the subject, purpose, and merit of the case report. It must explain why the case report is novel or merits review, and it should include a comprehensive literature review that corroborates the author's claims. The case presentation section should describe the case in chronological order and in enough detail for the reader to establish his or her own conclusions about the case's validity. The discussion section is the most important section of the case report. It ought to evaluate the patient case for accuracy, validity, and uniqueness; compare and contrast the case report with the published literature; derive new knowledge; summarize the essential features of the report; and draw recommendations. The conclusion section should be brief and provide a conclusion with evidence-based recommendations and applicability to practice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patient case reports are valuable resources of new and unusual information that may lead to vital research.
authors.affiliation: Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA. hcohenliu@aol.com
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D010506:Periodicals as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D014956:Writing
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations