Transcript 48x36 Poster Template - Grand Rapids Medical Education

Title
Authors
Associated institutions
Introduction
The introduction should be brief, tell why the case is
important and why it is being reported (for example,
because it adds to the understanding of a clinical
problem). For the sake of brevity, cite a few recent
review articles rather than many individual studies.
Case reports usually respond to one of the following
generic topics but use specific information from the
case being presented.
1) An unexpected association between diseases
or symptoms. (For example, AIDS came to be
recognized, in part, because Kaposi's sarcoma
and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia were
reported in homosexual men in 1981.)
2) An unexpected event in the course of observing
or treating a patient. (The transdermal absorption
of nitroglycerin and its dilating effect on blood
vessels came to be understood after a physician
reported headache in a patient who handled TNT
powder in his daily work.)
3) Findings that shed new light on the possible
pathogenesis of a disease or an adverse effect.
Patient Description
Describe the patient, including gender, age, height
weight, BMI, social history (including tobacco and
alcohol use), use of illegal substances, medication
being used, notable results of physical examination
and laboratory tests, and differential diagnosis or
diagnoses considered, just to name a few. When in
doubt, think about the patient information you would
like to know as background information, and provide
it in this section. Don’t go overboard, we don’t need
to know how many toilets are in the patient’s primary
residence. Give all of the basics, and add the
specifics important to the case.
For most of your audience, this section will hold the
most interest, and will also be the biggest attentiongrabber for the casual passer-by. They may not care
for your title of “A Rare Case of Okra Toxicity in Bexar
County” but the full color 3D CT of a tortured liver will
suck them right in.
HEY!! Remember, any pictures which contain
patient identifiers (i.e., facial shots, unusual tattoos)
will require a signed release form from the patient.
Check with the GRMEP Research Department for
more information.
report, refrain from using any identifying data, such
as date of birth, date of service, patient name/initials
or medical record number. Do not use case when
referring to a person - a case is an instance of
disease, a patient is a person.
Don’t Be Constrained by These Headings
Every case is different, so don’t feel like you have to
mash your round pegs to fit into the template’s square
holes. Add sections and headings as are dictated by
your case.
Intervention
Describe all therapeutic interventions conducted during
the course of treatment. Provide the results of only
relevant examinations and laboratory tests, usually
those with positive results.
List the laboratory's ranges of normal values for any
unusual tests performed.
Significance/Uniqueness of Case
Use the literature to establish previous work related to
your research question. Make clear to your reader
whether this is the first ever reported, or how many
have been reported previously. The essential
characteristic of a publishable case report
is educational value. After all, nobody is going to
change the way that they practice medicine based
upon one case report. In addition, it is not true that a
report must tell of a unique finding. Some case reports
are published because they support the findings in
previously published cases or because they are
useful reminders of an important point in diagnosis or
treatment.
TEMPLATE AND PRINTING BY:
www.POSTERPRESENTATIONS.com
Discussion
The purpose of the discussion is to explain anything
that isn't clear in the case description and to offer
interpretations of findings. It’s also the spot to
indicate why the intervention used for your case
was different from similar cases reported previously.
Make clear any important point that isn't explained
in the case descriptions. For example, if you reported
that liver enzymes were elevated but no significant
liver dysfunction was found, tell the reader in the
discussion section why the enzymes were elevated.
Also discuss implications for the field.
Conclusions
HEY!! Remember, when writing up your case
4) Unique or rare features of a disease.
5) Unique therapeutic approaches.
Charts/Graphs/Pictures
Response to Treatment
Describe the outcome of treatment including final
diagnosis.
The big finish, where you get to blow your audience
away with your final, pithy comment. This should be
brief, three sentences tops. If you’re at a loss for words,
you can either do a combined Discussion/Conclusions
section, or just do a conclusions section that reiterates
the importance of your case.
References
While it is a nice thing to include references, if you’re
crunched for space, these are the first things to go. If
the choice is between including a really good looking
graph or the references, ditch the references and show
the graph.