title: Handwritten undergraduate case reports.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This article describes a 'back to the future' approach to case 'write-ups', with medical students producing handwritten instead of word-processed case reports during their clinical placements. Word-processed reports had been found to have a number of drawbacks, including the inappropriate use of 'cutting and pasting', undue length and lack of focus.
  
  
  METHODS
  We developed a template to be completed by hand, based on the hospital 'clerking-in process', and matched this to a new assessment pro forma. An electronic survey was conducted of both students and assessors after the first year of operation to evaluate impact and utility.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The new template was well received by both students and assessors. Most students said they preferred handwriting the case reports (55.6%), although a significant proportion (44.4%) preferred the word processor. Many commented that the template enabled them to effectively learn the structure of a case history and to improve their history-taking skills. Most assessors who had previously marked case reports felt the new system represented an improvement. The average time spent marking each report fell from 23.56 to 16.38 minutes using the new pro forma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Free text comments from the survey have led to the development of a more flexible case report template better suited to certain specialties (e.g. dermatology). This is an evolving process and there will be opportunities for further adaptation as electronic medical records become more common in hospital.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University of Belfast, UK. k.mcglade@qub.ac.uk
authors.forename: Kieran
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: McGlade
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cargo
authors.forename: Damian
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fogarty
authors.forename: Mairead
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boohan
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McMullin
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D005791:Patient Care; D006113:United Kingdom; D014956:Writing