Oral Presentation Guidelines
by Steve McGee, M.D.
The Oral Case Presentation is an art form that requires concerted effort and repeated practice. Although the style of presentation may vary depending on the clinical setting, service, and time available, these guidelines are a good starting point for presentations during post call attending rounds and case conferences.
Principles
Purpose of the case presentation: to concisely summarize 4 parts of your patient’s presentation: (1) history, (2) physical examination, (3) laboratory results, and (4) your understanding of these findings (i.e., clinical reasoning)
Basic structure
Identifying information/chief complaint
History of present illness
Other active medical problems, medications, habits, and allergies
Physical examination (key findings only)
Laboratory
Assessment and plan
Note: Sections covering family history, social history and review of systems are excluded from the case presentation. If a fact from the social history is relevant to the chief complaint (e.g., homelessness), it should appear in the “history of present illness” section.
Basic guidelines
The oral presentation is brief. Its length is always