Guidelines for Case Presentations
Whenever you admit a new patient, you will ordinarily present the case the next morning. This case presentation should be complete and concise.
Format of the case presentation
1. Report the history, succinctly, in standard format:
Chief complaint
History of the present illness
Past medical history
Medications
Medication allergies
Social history
Family history
Review of systems (specify only pertinent positive and negative findings)
2. Describe the physical examination, succinctly, in standard format:
Vital signs (specify)
HEENT (acceptable to say "normal" or "unremarkable", if this is so)
Neck
Nodes
Breasts (always include a breast exam for women on the medicine service)
Chest
Cardiovascular
Abdomen
Genitourinary
Rectal
Extremities
Skin
Neurologic
3. Report the basic laboratory data
4. Summarize the case: this is important! The summary should include a few well-crafted sentences, perhaps 3-5 in all. A concise, accurate summary shows that you have grasped the essentials of the case and can distill the clinical data into its essence.
5. Assessment. In the assessment, you choose the most important one or two problems and discuss the differential diagnosis. Remember that the differential diagnosis should address the possible causes in the case at hand, not for the problem in general. For example, in a patient with acute fever, cough, rhonchi and pulmonary infiltrate, discuss pneumonia, not cough.
6. Plan. Outline your recommendations for diagnostic tests and therapy.
Tips for good case presentation
Aim for a duration of five minutes. This is readily achievable if you are organized and concise.
Practice. You may wish to go over your presentation with the resident, before presenting it.
It is better not to read the case. You may refer to brief notes.
Further details are described in Essential Skills in