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Article Contents

Answer to part 1, answer to part 2, answer to part 3, answer to part 4, answer to part 5.

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Educational Case: A 57-year-old man with chest pain

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Nikhil Aggarwal, Subothini Selvendran, Vassilios Vassiliou, Educational Case: A 57-year-old man with chest pain, Oxford Medical Case Reports , Volume 2016, Issue 4, April 2016, Pages 62–65, https://doi.org/10.1093/omcr/omw008

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This is an educational case report including multiple choice questions and their answers. For the best educational experience we recommend the interactive web version of the exercise which is available via the following link: http://www.oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/omcr/ec01p1.html

A 57 year-old male lorry driver, presented to his local emergency department with a 20-minute episode of diaphoresis and chest pain. The chest pain was central, radiating to the left arm and crushing in nature. The pain settled promptly following 300 mg aspirin orally and 800 mcg glyceryl trinitrate (GTN) spray sublingually administered by paramedics in the community. He smoked 20 cigarettes daily (38 pack years) but was not aware of any other cardiovascular risk factors. On examination he appeared comfortable and was able to complete sentences fully. There were no heart murmurs present on cardiac auscultation. Blood pressure was 180/105 mmHg, heart rate was 83 bpm and regular, oxygen saturation was 97%.

What is the most likely diagnosis?

An ECG was requested and is shown in figure 1.

How would you manage the patient? (The patient has already received 300 mg aspirin).

30 minutes later the patient's chest pain returned with greater intensity whilst waiting in the emergency department. Now, he described the pain as though “an elephant is sitting on his chest”. The nurse has already done an ECG by the time you were called to see him. This is shown in figure 2.

ECG on admission.

ECG 30 minutes after admission.

What would be the optimal management for this patient?

He was taken to the catheterization lab where the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) was shown to be completely occluded. Following successful percutaneous intervention and one drug eluding stent implantation in the LAD normal flow is restored (Thrombosis in myocardial infarction, TIMI = 3). 72 hours later, he is ready to be discharged home. The patient is keen to return to work and asks when he could do so.

When would you advise him that he could return to work?

One week later, he receives a letter informing him that he is required to attend cardiac rehabilitation. The patient is confused as to what cardiac rehabilitation entails, although he does remember a nurse discussing this with him briefly before he was discharged. He phones the hospital in order to get some more information.

Which of the following can be addressed during cardiac rehabilitation?

A - Acute coronary syndrome

Although the presentation could be attributable to any of the above differential diagnoses, the most likely etiology given the clinical picture and risk factors is one of cardiac ischemia. Risk factors include gender, smoking status and age making the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome the most likely one. The broad differential diagnosis in patients presenting with chest pain has been discussed extensively in the medical literature. An old but relevant review can be found freely available 1 as well as more recent reviews. 2 , 3

C - Atorvastatin 80 mg, Clopidogrel 300 mcg, GTN 500 mcg, Ramipril 2.5 mg,

In patients with ACS, medications can be tailored to the individual patient. Some medications have symptomatic benefit but some also have prognostic benefit. Aspirin 4 , Clopidogrel 5 , Atenolol 6 and Atorvastatin 7 have been found to improve prognosis significantly. ACE inhibitors have also been found to improve left ventricular modeling and function after an MI. 8 , 9 Furthermore, GTN 10 and morphine 11 have been found to be of only significant symptomatic benefit.

Oxygen should only to be used when saturations <95% and at the lowest concentration required to keep saturations >95%. 12

There is no evidence that diltiazem, a calcium channel blocker, is of benefit. 13

His ECG in figure 1 does not fulfil ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) criteria and he should therefore be managed as a Non-STEMI. He would benefit prognostically from beta-blockade however his heart rate is only 42 bpm and therefore this is contraindicated. He should receive a loading dose of clopidogrel (300 mg) followed by daily maintenance dose (75 mg). 14 , 15 He might not require GTN if he is pain-free but out of the available answers 3 is the most correct.

D - Proceed to coronary angiography

The ECG shows ST elevation in leads V2-V6 and confirms an anterolateral STEMI, which suggests a completely occluded LAD. This ECG fulfils the criteria to initiate reperfusion therapy which traditionally require one of the three to be present: According to guidance, if the patient can undergo coronary angiography within 120 minutes from the onset of chest pain, then this represents the optimal management. If it is not possible to undergo coronary angiography and potentially percutaneous intervention within 2 hours, then thrombolysis is considered an acceptable alternative. 12 , 16

≥ 1 mm of ST change in at least two contiguous limb leads (II, III, AVF, I, AVL).

≥ 2 mm of ST change in at least two contiguous chest leads (V1-V6).

New left bundle branch block.

GTN and morphine administration can be considered in parallel but they do not have a prognostic benefit.

E - Not before an exercise test

This patient is a lorry driver and therefore has a professional heavy vehicle driving license. The regulation for driving initiation in a lorry driver following a NSTEMI/ STEMI may be different in various countries and therefore the local regulations should be followed.

In the UK, a lorry driver holds a category 2 driving license. He should therefore refrain from driving a lorry for at least 6 weeks and can only return to driving if he completes successfully an exercise evaluation. An exercise evaluation is performed on a bicycle or treadmill. Drivers should be able to complete 3 stages of the standard Bruce protocol 17 or equivalent (e.g. Myocardial perfusion scan) safely, having refrained from taking anti-anginal medication for 48 hours and should remain free from signs of cardiovascular dysfunction during the test, notably: angina pectoris, syncope, hypotension, sustained ventricular tachycardia, and/or electrocardiographic ST segment shift which is considered as being indicative of myocardial ischemia (usually >2 mm horizontal or down-sloping) during exercise or the recovery period. 18

For a standard car driving license (category 1), driving can resume one week after successful intervention providing that no other revascularization is planned within 4 weeks; left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is at least 40% prior to hospital discharge and there is no other disqualifying condition.

Therefore if this patent was in the UK, he could restart driving a normal car one week later assuming an echocardiogram confirmed an EF > 40%. However, he could only continue lorry driving once he has passed the required tests. 18

E - All of the above

Cardiac rehabilitation bridges the gap between hospitals and patients' homes. The cardiac rehabilitation team consists of various healthcare professions and the programme is started during hospital admission or after diagnosis. Its aim is to educate patients about their cardiac condition in order to help them adopt a healthier lifestyle. This includes educating patients' about their diet, exercise, risk factors associated with their condition such as smoking and alcohol intake and finally, about the medication recommended. There is good evidence that adherence to cardiac rehabilitation programmes improves survival and leads to a reduction in future cardiovascular events.​ 19 , 20

Oille JA . Differential diagnosis of pain in the chest . Can Med Assoc J . 1937 ; 37 (3) : 209 – 216 . http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC536075/ .

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Lee TH , Goldman L . Evaluation of the patient with acute chest pain . N Engl J Med . 2000 ; 342 (16) : 1187 – 1195 . http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM200004203421607 .

Douglas PS , Ginsburg GS . The evaluation of chest pain in women . N Engl J Med . 1996 ; 334 (20) : 1311 – 1315 . http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199605163342007 .

Baigent C , Collins R , Appleby P , Parish S , Sleight P , Peto R . ISIS-2: 10 year survival among patients with suspected acute myocardial infarction in randomised comparison of intravenous streptokinase, oral aspirin, both, or neither. the ISIS-2 (second international study of infarct survival) collaborative group . BMJ . 1998 ; 316 (7141) : 1337 – 1343 . http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC28530/ .

Yusuf S , Zhao F , Mehta S , Chrolavicius S , Tognoni G , Fox K . Clopidogrel in unstable angina to prevent recurrent events trail investigators . effects of clopidogrel in addition to aspirin in patients with acute coronary syndromes without ST-segment elevation . N Engl J Med . 2001 ; 345 (7) : 494 – 502 . http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa010746#t=articleTop .

Yusuf S , Peto R , Lewis J , Collins R , Sleight P . Beta blockade during and after myocardial infarction: An overview of the randomized trials . Prog Cardiovasc Dis . 1985 ; 27 (5) : 335 – 371 . http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0033062085800037 .

Schwartz GG , Olsson AG , Ezekowitz MD et al.  . Effects of atorvastatin on early recurrent ischemic events in acute coronary syndromes: The MIRACL study: A randomized controlled trial . JAMA . 2001 ; 285 (13) : 1711 – 1718 . http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=193709 .

Pfeffer MA , Lamas GA , Vaughan DE , Parisi AF , Braunwald E . Effect of captopril on progressive ventricular dilatation after anterior myocardial infarction . N Engl J Med . 1988 ; 319 (2) : 80 – 86 . http://content.onlinejacc.org/article.aspx?articleid=1118054 .

Sharpe N , Smith H , Murphy J , Hannan S . Treatment of patients with symptomless left ventricular dysfunction after myocardial infarction . The Lancet . 1988 ; 331 (8580) : 255 – 259 . http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673688903479 .

Ferreira JC , Mochly-Rosen D . Nitroglycerin use in myocardial infarction patients . Circ J . 2012 ; 76 (1) : 15 – 21 . http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3527093/ .

Herlitz J , Hjalmarson A , Waagstein F . Treatment of pain in acute myocardial infarction . Br Heart J . 1989 ; 61 (1) : 9 – 13 . http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1216614/ .

Task Force on the management of ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), Steg PG, James SK, et al . ESC guidelines for the management of acute myocardial infarction in patients presenting with ST-segment elevation . Eur Heart J . 2012 ; 33 (20) : 2569 – 2619 . http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/content/33/20/2569 .

The effect of diltiazem on mortality and reinfarction after myocardial infarction . the multicenter diltiazem postinfarction trial research group . N Engl J Med . 1988 ; 319 (7) : 385 – 392 . http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM198808183190701 .

Jneid H , Anderson JL , Wright RS et al.  . 2012 ACCF/AHA focused update of the guideline for the management of patients with unstable angina/Non–ST-elevation myocardial infarction (updating the 2007 guideline and replacing the 2011 focused update) A report of the american college of cardiology foundation/american heart association task force on practice guidelines . J Am Coll Cardiol . 2012 ; 60 (7) : 645 – 681 . http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/123/18/2022.full .

Hamm CW , Bassand JP , Agewall S et al.  . ESC guidelines for the management of acute coronary syndromes in patients presenting without persistent ST-segment elevation: The task force for the management of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) in patients presenting without persistent ST-segment elevation of the european society of cardiology (ESC) . Eur Heart J . 2011 ; 32 (23) : 2999 – 3054 . http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/content/32/23/2999.long .

O'Gara PT , Kushner FG , Ascheim DD et al.  . 2013 ACCF/AHA guideline for the management of ST-elevation myocardial infarction: Executive summary: A report of the american college of cardiology foundation/american heart association task force on practice guidelines . J Am Coll Cardiol . 2013 ; 61 (4) : 485 – 510 . http://content.onlinejacc.org/article.aspx?articleid=1486115 .

BRUCE RA , LOVEJOY FW Jr . Normal respiratory and circulatory pathways of adaptation in exercise . J Clin Invest . 1949 ; 28 (6 Pt 2) : 1423 – 1430 . http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC439698/ .

DVLA . Https://Www.gov.uk/current-medical-guidelines-dvla-guidance-for-professionals-cardiovascular-chapter-appendix .

British Heart Foundation . Http://Www.bhf.org.uk/heart-health/living-with-heart-disease/cardiac-rehabilitation.aspx .

Kwan G , Balady GJ . Cardiac rehabilitation 2012: Advancing the field through emerging science . Circulation . 2012 ; 125 (7) : e369–73. http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/125/7/e369.full .

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Next Generation NCLEX Case Study Sample Questions

One of the big changes on the Next Generation NCLEX exam is a shift toward case studies. Case studies often require a deeper level of critical thinking, and understanding diseases on a more in-depth level (especially the pathophysiology) will make these types of questions easier to answer.

In this article, you’ll be able to watch a free video to help you prepare for the new Next Generation NCLEX case study format. Nurse Sarah will walk you step-by-step through each scenario and help you understand how to use critical thinking and nursing knowledge to answer these types of questions.

Next Generation NCLEX Case Study Review Questions Video

NGN Case Study Sample Questions and Answers

First, let’s take a look at our case study summary below:

Case Study Summary:

A 68-year-old male is admitted with shortness of breath. He reports difficulty breathing with activity, lying down, or while sleeping. He states that in order to “breathe easier,” he has had to sleep in a recliner for the past week. The patient has a history of hypertension, myocardial infarction (2 years ago), and cholecystectomy (10 years ago). The patient is being transferred to a cardiac progressive care unit for further evaluation and treatment.

Question 1 of 6: The nurse receives the patient admitted with shortness of breath. What findings are significant and require follow-up? The options are listed below. Select all that apply.

To answer this first question in the NGN case study, let’s look at the information provided in the nursing notes and vital signs tabs provided:

This question is asking us to identify findings that are significant and require the nurse to follow-up. In other words, what is presenting that we can’t ignore but need to investigate further.

Therefore, let’s comb through the nursing notes and vital signs to see what is abnormal and requires follow-up.

First, the patient arrived to the room via stretcher. That’s fine and doesn’t necessarily require follow-up.

Next, the patient is alert and oriented x 4 (person, place, time, event). This tells us that the patient’s neuro status is intact so far. Therefore, the shortness of breath isn’t affecting the patient’s mental function yet (we have enough oxygen on board right now for brain activity).

However, the nurse has noticed the shortness of breath with activity and talking, which should not normally happen. This tells us something is wrong and is significant enough to require follow-up. We want to know why is this happening, is it going to get worse, etc.

The patient’s weight and vital signs were collected (this is good). Weight is 155 lbs. and BMI is within a healthy range (doesn’t tell us too much but may be useful later). The patient is also connected to a bedside monitor, so they need to be monitored constantly like on a progressive care unit.

The monitor shows sinus tachycardia . This is significant because it seems the patient’s shortness of breath is causing the heart to compensate by increasing the heart rate to provide more oxygen (hence the lungs may be compromised).

Then we find out that the lungs are indeed compromised because crackles are heard in both lungs , and this may be why our patient is short of breath. This is significant (could the patient have pulmonary edema?)

Then we find out the nurse has noted an S3. This is an extra heart sound noted after S2. And what jumps out to me about this is that it is usually associated with volume overload in the heart like in cases of heart failure . However, S3 may be normal in some people under 40 or during pregnancy, but that’s not the case with our patient based on what we read in the case summary.

Therefore, based on everything I’m reading in this case study, I’m thinking this patient may have heart failure, but we need those test results back (especially the echo and chest x-ray, and hopefully a BNP will be in there too).

We are also told that the patient has an 18 gauge IV inserted (which is good thing to have so we can give medications if required), orders have been received, labs drawn, and testing results are pending.

Now let’s look at the “Vital Signs” tab above, and ask yourself what is normal vs. abnormal for this patient (adult male).

• The heart rate is high at 112 (tachycardia), and should normally be 60-100 bpm (see heart rhythms ).
• Blood pressure is higher than normal (normal is 120/80), which indicates hypertension.
• Oxygen saturation is 94% (this is on the low side as we’d normally want around 95% or higher, and the patient is on 4 L nasal cannula, which tells us the lungs are not okay).
• Respiratory rate is increased (26 breaths per minute)…normal is 12-20 breaths per minute.

Based on the information we were provided, I’ve selected the answers below. These findings are significant and definitely require follow-up by the nurse.

When answering these NGN case study questions, it’s helpful to think of the ABCDE (airway, breathing, circulation, etc.) as all of these fall into that category. If we don’t follow-up on the shortness of breath, crackles, respiratory rate, o2 saturation (94% on 4 L nasal cannula), the respiratory system can further decline.

In addition, the sinus tachycardia, S3 gallop, and hypertension could indicate fluid overload in the heart. This may cause the heart to tire out and lead the lethal rhythm. On the other hand, temperature, pain, weight, and BMI are not abnormal and do not require follow-up.

See the Complete Next Generation NCLEX Case Study Review

Each question in the case study builds on the previous question. To see how these questions evolve based on the patient’s condition and labs, watch the entire Next Generation NCLEX Case Study Review video on our YouTube Channel (RegisteredNurseRN).

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Clinical Cases

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Writing a Patient Case Study: A Comprehensive Guide

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Key Learnings contained in this article:

Writing a patient case study is a crucial aspect of medical research and analysis. A well-written and comprehensive case study provides valuable insights into patient conditions and contributes to the advancement of healthcare practices. In this guide, we will explore the importance of patient case studies, the ethical considerations involved, and the essential steps to take when preparing, conducting, and writing a patient case study.

Understanding the Importance of Patient Case Studies

Patient case studies play a vital role in medical research, helping researchers and healthcare professionals gain a deeper understanding of various medical conditions, treatment outcomes , and patient experiences. They serve as real-life examples that highlight different aspects of a medical case, including symptoms, diagnosis, treatment plans, and outcomes. By analyzing case studies, researchers can identify patterns, compare treatment methods, and ultimately improve patient care. Moreover, case studies are instrumental in medical education, offering students practical scenarios to apply theoretical knowledge.

The Role of Case Studies in Medical Research

In medical research, case studies serve as valuable evidence that contributes to the overall body of scientific knowledge. They allow researchers to examine rare conditions or unusual presentations, providing important insights that are not easily obtainable through other research methods. Case studies offer an opportunity to explore the complexities and nuances of medical diagnoses, treatments, and patient experiences in detail, ultimately leading to the development of evidence-based guidelines and improved clinical practices .

Ethical Considerations in Patient Case Studies

When conducting patient case studies, it is crucial to adhere to strict ethical standards. Patient confidentiality and informed consent are paramount. Researchers must ensure that patients' personal information remains confidential and that they have given informed consent to participate in the study. Additionally, the study design and methods must prioritize patient safety and well-being. Ethical considerations should guide every step of the case study process to ensure the protection of patients' rights and dignity.

Furthermore, patient case studies provide an opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration within the medical field. In complex cases, healthcare professionals from different specialties come together to analyze the data and contribute their expertise. This collaborative approach enhances the quality of research and fosters a holistic understanding of the medical condition being studied.

Moreover, patient case studies can also shed light on the social and psychological impacts of healthcare. By examining the patient's experiences, researchers can gain insights into the impact of a medical condition on the individual's quality of life, mental well-being, and social support systems. This broader perspective helps healthcare professionals develop patient-centered approaches that address not only the physical aspects of the condition but also the emotional and social needs of the patient.

Preparing for Your Patient Case Study

Before embarking on a patient case study, careful preparation is necessary. This involves identifying a suitable patient and obtaining informed consent.

Undertaking a patient case study is a meticulous process that requires attention to detail and ethical considerations. To ensure the study's success and validity, it is crucial to delve deep into the selection process and consent acquisition.

Identifying a Suitable Patient

The selection of an appropriate patient for a case study is crucial. Ideally, the patient should have a condition that is relevant to the research topic and that showcases specific aspects of interest. It is essential to consider factors such as the availability of medical records , the uniqueness of the case, and ethical considerations. Collaborating with healthcare professionals and experts in the field can be beneficial in identifying suitable patients for your study.

Moreover, the process of identifying a suitable patient involves a comprehensive review of the medical history, diagnostic tests, and treatment plans. Understanding the nuances of the patient's condition and its implications on the research objectives is fundamental in creating a compelling case study.

Gaining Informed Consent

Prior to initiating the case study, obtaining informed consent from the patient is mandatory. Informed consent ensures that the patient fully understands the purpose of the study, the potential risks or benefits involved, and their rights as a participant. Researchers must provide clear and comprehensible information, allowing the patient ample time to consider their involvement. Additionally, it is essential to respect the patient's right to withdraw from the study at any given point without facing any consequences.

Furthermore, the process of gaining informed consent involves establishing a transparent and open dialogue with the patient. Addressing any concerns or queries they may have regarding the study can foster trust and cooperation, ultimately enhancing the quality of the case study.

Conducting the Patient Interview

The patient interview is a crucial part of gathering information for the case study. It allows researchers to obtain subjective details, delve into the patient's experiences, and gain insights into their condition.

When conducting a patient interview, it is essential for researchers to create a comfortable and welcoming environment. Patients may feel anxious or vulnerable, so establishing rapport and showing empathy can help them feel at ease. Building a trusting relationship with the patient can encourage open communication and lead to a more fruitful exchange of information.

Essential Questions to Ask

During the interview, it is important to ask a range of questions to gather comprehensive information. These may include inquiries about the patient's medical history, symptoms, lifestyle, and any factors that may have contributed to their condition. By asking open-ended questions, researchers encourage patients to share their personal experiences and provide valuable insights into their healthcare journey.

Moreover, it is crucial for researchers to actively listen during the interview. Paying attention to not just the words spoken but also the patient's tone, body language, and emotions can reveal additional nuances that may impact the understanding of the case. Empathetic listening demonstrates respect for the patient's perspective and can help researchers form a more holistic view of the individual's health concerns.

Recording and Transcribing the Interview

Accurate recording and transcription of the patient interview are crucial for maintaining the integrity of the case study. The use of audio recordings, with the patient's consent, ensures that important details are not missed or misconstrued. When transcribing the interview, researchers should be meticulous in capturing the patient's exact words, ensuring that any abbreviations or acronyms are correctly documented. This meticulous approach facilitates a comprehensive analysis of the case and promotes transparency in the research process.

Moreover, researchers should consider the ethical implications of recording and transcribing patient interviews . Respecting patient confidentiality and privacy is paramount, and measures should be in place to safeguard sensitive information. Clear guidelines on data storage, access, and disposal should be established to protect the integrity of the research and uphold the trust placed in the researchers by the patients.

Analysing the Patient's Medical History

Analyzing the patient's medical history is an essential step in understanding the context of their condition and treatment. It involves accessing and interpreting medical records and identifying key medical events.

Delving into a patient's medical history unveils a treasure trove of information that can shed light on their current health status. From the initial diagnosis to the latest treatment regimen, each entry in the medical records forms a piece of the puzzle that researchers meticulously piece together.

Interpreting Medical Records

The analysis of medical records offers a comprehensive overview of the patient's healthcare journey. Researchers must examine medical reports, laboratory results, imaging studies, and other relevant documentation. Careful evaluation of these records helps researchers understand the course of the disease, the efficacy of previous treatments, and any complications that may have arisen.

Medical records are akin to a detailed roadmap of the patient's health landscape, providing valuable insights into the twists and turns encountered along the way. Each blood test result, X-ray image, and specialist consultation note contributes to painting a holistic picture of the patient's medical narrative.

Identifying Key Medical Events

Within the patient's medical history, certain key events may have had a significant impact on their condition. By identifying these events, researchers can explore their relevance to the overall case study. Examples of key events may include surgeries, significant changes in symptoms, adverse reactions to medications, or responses to specific treatments. These events help shape the narrative of the case study and provide valuable insights into the patient's healthcare journey.

Unearthing these pivotal moments in a patient's medical history is akin to discovering hidden gems that unlock crucial chapters in their healthcare story. Each key event serves as a turning point, influencing subsequent decisions and treatments that shape the patient's medical trajectory.

Writing the Patient Case Study

Once all the necessary information has been gathered and analyzed, it is time to write the patient case study. A well-structured and concise case study allows for easy comprehension and dissemination of information.

Structuring Your Case Study

When structuring the case study, it is important to present the information in a logical manner. Begin with an introduction that sets the context of the case study and outlines its objectives. Follow this with a detailed description of the patient's medical history, including relevant diagnostic tests, treatments, and interventions. Describe the patient's progress, including any challenges or complications encountered along the way. Finally, conclude with an analysis of the case, highlighting key findings, lessons learned, and potential implications for future research or clinical practice.

Using Medical Terminology Correctly

Using appropriate medical terminology is essential in ensuring clarity and precision in your case study. When describing symptoms, diagnoses, treatments, and other medical concepts, use standard, approved terminology widely accepted in the medical community. This consistency facilitates better understanding and communication between researchers, healthcare professionals, and readers of the case study.

Furthermore, it is worth noting that the use of medical terminology also helps to maintain the integrity and professionalism of the case study. By adhering to established terminology, researchers can avoid confusion and ensure that their findings are accurately interpreted and applied in clinical settings.

Moreover, the correct use of medical terminology enhances the credibility of the case study. It demonstrates the author's expertise and knowledge in the field, lending weight to their conclusions and recommendations. This is particularly important when presenting case studies to medical professionals, who rely on accurate and precise language to make informed decisions about patient care.

In conclusion, writing a patient case study requires careful planning, ethical considerations, meticulous data collection, and effective communication. Patient case studies provide invaluable insights into medical conditions, contributing to the body of scientific knowledge and improving patient care and outcomes. By following this comprehensive guide, researchers can create informative and influential case studies that advance medical research and enhance clinical practices.

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Clinical cases

Epigastric pain case study with questions and answers

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Hyperglycaemia case study with questions and answers, breast lump case study with questions and answers.

Constipation case study with questions and answers

Headache case study with questions and answers

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Confusion case study with questions and answers.

Euthanasia case study with questions and answers

PICO: Form a Focused Clinical Question

• 1. Ask: PICO(T) Question
• 2. Align: Levels of Evidence
• 3a. Acquire: Resource Types
• 3b. Acquire: Searching
• 4. Appraise
• Primary vs. Secondary Sources
• Case Study Example
• Practice PICO

Formulate a Clinical Question from a Case Study

• Case: Hypertension

I: Intervention

C: comparison.

• PICO: Putting It Together

Clinical Scenario

A 68-year-old female patient has recently been diagnosed with high blood pressure. She is otherwise healthy and active. You need to decide whether to prescribe her a beta-blocker or an ACE inhibiter.

Image:  "Blood pressure measuring. Doctor and patient. Health care."  by  agilemktg1  is marked with  CC PDM 1.0

► Click on the P: Patient tab to proceed in developing a clinical question.

(Case study from EBM Librarian: Teaching Tools: Scenarios .)

Consider when choosing your patient/problem:

• What are the most important characteristics?
• Relevant demographic factors
• The setting

Patient: adult hypertensive female

Image: "Nurse measuring blood pressure of senior woman at home. Looking at camera, smiling.?"  by  agilemktg1  is marked with  CC PDM 1.0

► Click on the I: Intervention tab to proceed in developing a clinical question.

Consider for your intervention:

• What is the main intervention, treatment, diagnostic test, procedure, or exposure?
• Think of dosage, frequency, duration, and mode of delivery

Intervention: beta-blocker

Image:  "Atenolol Blood Pressure Tablets Image 4"  by  Doctor4U_UK  is licensed under  CC BY 2.0

► Click on the C: Comparison tab to proceed in developing a clinical question.

Consider for your comparison:

• Inactive control intervention: Placebo, standard care, no treatment
• Active control intervention: A different drug, dose, or kind of therapy

Comparison: ACE   inhibiter

Image:  "Ramipril Blood Pressure Capsules Image 5"  by  Doctor4U_UK  is licensed under  CC BY 2.0

► Click on the O: Outcome  tab to proceed in developing a clinical question.

Consider for your outcome:

• Be specific and make it measurable
• It can be something objective or subjective

Outcome: relief of symptoms; controlled blood pressure

Image:  "File:BP B6 Connect blood pressure monitor.png"  by  百略醫學  is licensed under  CC BY-SA 4.0

► Click on the PICO: Putting It Together  tab to proceed in developing a clinical question.

Formulate a PICO Question

Answerable PICO Question: In middle-aged adult females with hypertension, are beta blockers more effective than ACE inhibiters in controlling blood pressure?

Image:  "Dagstuhl 2008-02-01 - 37"  by  Nic's events  is licensed under  CC BY-SA 2.0

Suggested MeSH Terms:  Adrenergic beta-Antagonists/therapeutic use; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors/therapeutic use; hypertension/drug therapy

Tip: Incorporating sex into the search may not be necessary unless there is a significant difference between males and females in relevant studies. 

Click "Next" below to practice formulating clinical questions using PICO format.

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• Next: Practice PICO >>
• Last Updated: Apr 19, 2024 2:46 PM
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NCLEX Case Study Questions - Free Questions and Answers

One of the greatest changes on the next Generation NCLEX test is a move towards case study questions. NCLEX case study questions require candidates to master deeper critical thinking and understand clinical diseases, especially pathophysiology. Mastering the two areas makes this kind of item easier to answer.

This article explores deeply the NCLEX case study questions and their formats to help you prepare effectively for the exam. Different scenarios will be discussed to help understand how to respond to the questions. Naxlex is a great platform that can help you prepare for case study questions with ease. Subscribe to  Naxlex case study questions  for guaranteed A.

NCLEX case study questions have been designed to evaluate the critical judgment of aspiring nurses. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) developed the case study questions to prepare future nurses effectively. The nursing profession has become more challenging with the development of new technologies to address emerging diseases.

To address the different nursing challenges, the  NCSBN  added NCLEX case studies to evaluate future nurses' clinical competencies better. Adding clinical judgment skills to the case studies is crucial to ensuring that future nurses are equipped with the skills needed for effective nursing care. 

Types of NCLEX Case Study Questions

A considerable change to the NCLEX exam is the introduction of twelve case study questions and two stand-alone question types. The twelve NCLEX case study questions comprise different kinds, such as;

Matrix multiple-choices items

Matrix multiple-response questions

Multiple-response questions incorporating Select All that Apply (SATA)

Multiple-response items incorporating Select N

Grouping-based multiple-response questions

Drag-and-drop: Cloze questions

Drag-and-drop: Rationales items

Drop-down: Cloze questions

Drop-down: Rationale items

Drop-down: Table based questions

Highlight: Text questions

Highlight: Table-based questions

The Format of NCLEX Case Study Questions

The NCLEX case study questions are showcased in a split-screen format. The displayed formats comprise the left and right sides. The left side explores scenarios and consists of patient care information with tabs for nursing records, laboratory results, orders, crucial symptoms, and patient history.

Tabs are provided throughout the NCLEX case study questions and may include extra information relating to case progression, just like in real life. Changes to the client's condition are explored when more treatment-related information becomes available. The right side of the NCLEX case study questions contains the questions to be answered.

The questions evaluated are in the form of new kinds specifically created to evaluate clinical judgment among aspiring nurses. NCLEX case study questions are updated automatically. When a candidate responds to a question, the screen updates the answers and presents a new question on the right side.

It's important to understand that once a question is answered, the patient information on the left side may remain the same or include new data. NCLEX case study questions on the right will change once each question is answered. Questions in the case study are not computer-adaptive, but an estimate of the performance will be shown at the end of each study.

What's Examined in NCLEX Case Study Questions?

In the NCLEX case study questions, candidates must answer six questions, each evaluating one of the six cognitive components of clinical judgment to ensure aspiring nurses are fully prepared for the challenge. The six parameters tested in the case study questions are;

Recognize Cues (Assessment):  Any case study section may lead to successful patient diagnosis. Diagnosing and organizing information from different sources is crucial for future nurses.

Analyze Cues (Analysis):  Nurses must design and execute client care programs using cues.

Prioritize hypothesis (Initiation):  It's paramount to hypothesize probable conditions from established and analyzed cues. Nurses must discover any foreseeable conditions to patient care as needed.

Generate solutions (Planning):  Nurses must narrow down clinical hypotheses and design patient care according to expected conditions.

Take actions (Implementation):  Once foreseeable results are agreed upon and the priority of nursing care is created, nurses must start administering patient care.

Evaluate outcomes (evaluation):  Following effective nursing care, nurses must assess the results of their treatment methods and judge their effectiveness.

The six sections evaluated in NCLEX case study questions aim to empower aspiring nurses with the skills, knowledge, and competencies needed to provide effective nursing care. Understanding the six aspects of the case study questions is necessary for better performance.

How to Prepare for NCLEX Case Study Questions

NCLEX case study questions are designed uniquely to evaluate nurses in a manner that other parts of the exam do not. Hypothetically, each case study question contains six questions that relate to a client. Case study questions evaluate key nursing skills such as patient symptoms, reading laboratory reports, and how to provide effective client care.

Effective preparation of the NCLEX case study questions is paramount because candidates must stay on track to change earlier answers. Good test preparation tips and strategies before the case study questions can help you prepare better. Candidates must provide final answers and get instant feedback on whether the answer was right or wrong as the case develops. 

As you prepare for the NCLEX case study questions, you must take adequate time to understand how symptoms, patient information, treatment methods, and diseases fit together. The case study questions on the next-generation NCLEX test stimulate exam takers to come to faster conclusions regarding what's evaluated.

NCLEX case study questions need critical analysis of nursing concepts; the first step is to get detailed information about various diseases. If a particular case study question proves difficult, that's an indication that you need to spend sufficient time trying to understand the complexities of that issue. Whenever you find challenging case study questions, you should spend more time studying what was covered in that piece. 

Difficult concepts of the NCLEX case study questions can be simplified through better test preparation materials. Practice case study questions are potent preparation tools you can use to pass the NCLEX exam the first time. Naxlex is the leading platform that guarantees an A on the exam. Join  Naxlex  for guaranteed NCLEX performance.

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USMLE Step 1: Clinical Case Question Practice

Clinical case questions are distinguished by a fairly lengthy presentation of a patient’s history, physical exam findings, and maybe even lab results. Your task is to read through this detailed information and arrive at the best answer to the question being asked.

The most important part of the clinical case question is the last sentence. This is the sentence that actually poses the question. Until this point, you cannot be sure exactly what you will be asked.  Many students are tempted to simply skip to this last line, and then skim the case looking for necessary information to formulate an answer. Generally, this is not the best strategy.

Clinical case questions are often constructed by first writing a classic case, and then including one or two extra details. These details, by themselves, may suggest one or the other of the given answer options. To answer these questions correctly, you must read the whole case and treat all the information given as a whole. The total gestalt of the case is what is crucial, not any one individual fact.

Question writers know that because of the length of the questions, candidates do not want to read the whole question if they can help it. They know that some test takers are scanning for that one critical piece of information. Because of this, single pieces of information may lead you away from the right answer to one of the incorrect distractors. Avoid this trap. You need to focus on the meaning of the case as a whole, not any one piece of it.

When reading through the case, choose what is important. Paraphrase the question and note key factors and symptoms as they are presented. This will help you remember them when formulating your answer. Then select the answer that best matches not some but all of the facts presented. An example of this clinical case type of question follows:

USMLE Step 1: Clinical Case Practice Question

A 24-year-old woman presents with a fever and myalgias. She experienced brief, self-limited diarrhea 24 hours after attending a barbecue two weeks earlier. She remained asymptomatic until the day prior to presentation when she developed a fever of 39.4 C (103 F), conjunctivitis, and severe muscle pain. On physical examination she appears acutely ill and has a fever of 39.4 C. There is a diffuse maculopapular rash and generalized muscular tenderness. Several hemorrhages are noted beneath the fingernails. Admission hemogram reveals a white blood cell count of 15,000/mm3 with 25 percent eosinophils. The infectious form of the most likely causative agent is a(n) (A) cyst (B) cysticerci (C) encysted larvae (D) ovum (E) rhabditiform larvae

Reveal correct answer

The correct answer is (C).

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Case studies in a musculoskeletal out-patients setting

CHAPTER EIGHT Case studies in a musculoskeletal out-patients setting Adrian Schoo, Nick Taylor, Ken Niere, with a contribution from James Selfe Case study 1: Jaw Pain 217 Case study 2: Headache 218 Case study 3: Neck Pain – Case One 221 Case study 4: Neck Pain – Case Two 224 Case study 5: Thoracic Pain 226 Case study 6: Low Back Pain – Case One 228 Case study 7: Low Back Pain – Case Two 231 Case study 8: Shoulder Pain 234 Case study 9: Elbow Pain 237 Case study 10: Hand Weakness and Pain 239 Case study 11: Groin Pain 241 Case study 12: Hip and Thigh Pain 244 Case study 13: Medial Knee Pain 247 Case study 14: Anterior Knee Pain 249 Case study 15: Calf Pain 252 Case study 16: Achilles Pain 254 Case study 17: Ankle Sprain 256 Case study 18: Fibromyalgia 258 Introduction Musculoskeletal problems are very common, and can be encountered in hospital emergency departments, orthopaedics, and out-patient physiotherapy ( Carter & Rizzo 2007 ). It is not uncommon for in-patients who are admitted for another problem to be referred and treated in the ward or in the out-patient department for a musculoskeletal problem. The prevalence of specific conditions can vary between the different groups in the community. For example, sporting injuries are more likely to occur in the younger groups, whereas degenerative conditions such as osteoarthritis are more likely to occur as people progress in years. Musculoskeletal problems can result in pain and functional limitations (disability), and represent a major burden to the society due to associated health care costs and loss of productivity ( National Health Priority Action Council 2004 ). Musculoskeletal conditions, including arthritis, cause more disability than any other medical condition and affect one-third of all people with disability. Since part of the chronic disease burden is attributed to risk factors such as physical inactivity ( Bauman 2004 ) people with musculoskeletal conditions are often referred to physiotherapy out-patients for management of their conditions. As in other areas of physiotherapy practice, musculoskeletal assessment and treatment requires a systematic clinical reasoning approach ( Edwards et al 2004 ). The clinical reasoning approach used in this chapter considers: (i) differential diagnoses based on assessment and clinical presentation; (ii) intervention based on the best evidence available; (iii) constant evaluation of therapy outcomes; (iv) adjustment of intervention programme in line with diagnosis and stage of progress; and (v) referring to or working together with other disciplines to exclude and or address confounding problems. In assessing and treating common musculoskeletal conditions and measuring progress it is important to use outcome measures that are valid and reliable, and that consideration must be given to impairments of body structure and function as well as activity limitation and participation restriction, such as ability to return to work. The World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) provides a useful framework for physiotherapists in out-patients to assess patient functioning ( Jette 2006 ). Referral to or working with other disciplines may involve tests such as X-rays or dynamic ultrasound scans, or the provision of orthotics to improve biomechanics. In addition to specific techniques, treatment may require education, ergonomic advice and the instruction of a home exercise programme to improve outcomes on function and pain. There is an emerging and increasing body of research on the effectiveness of physiotherapy that provides the clinician in out-patients with an evidence base for their practice ( Herbert et al 2001 ). For example, there is high level evidence that therapeutic exercise can benefit clients across broad areas of physiotherapy practice ( Morris & Schoo 2004 , Taylor et al 2007 ). In prescribing exercises it can be important to know whether the exercise programme is performed correctly and adhered to by the client. Conditions such as back problems or tendinopathies may be negatively affected by incorrect activity performance. Additional problems that can affect health outcomes are incorrect belief systems and mental health problems. For instance, people with osteoarthritis may think that movement harms the joint, but by not moving they put themselves at risk of developing problems associated with physical inactivity (e.g. increased morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular problems or falls) ( Philbin et al 1996 ). Also, people with chronic pain may be depressed and are, therefore, less likely to be interested in performing exercises, and may benefit from counselling (e.g. motivational interviewing). Screening patients for problems such as fear-avoidance behaviour and anxiety ( Andrews & Slade 2001 ), asking about past and current exercise performance, motivating them if needed (Friedrich et al 1998) and demonstrating the prescribed exercises can assist in determining the likelihood of correct and consistent programme performance (Friedrich et al 1996b, Schneiders et al 1998 ). We have selected common musculoskeletal conditions that are likely to be encountered in hospital out-patient departments. The different cases relate to younger and older people, females as well as males. A multitude of physical tests and outcome measures have been included together with clinical reasoning and evidence-based treatment options. CASE STUDY 1 Jaw pain Subjective examination Subject 34-year-old female office worker HPC Left sided headaches off and on for 3/12 Increasing pain of the left temporomandibular joint (TMJ) last 2/12 Pain at night, at rest, and when opening the mouth or chewing PMH Appendectomy Stress at work Aggravating factors Biting a big apple Chewing hard or tough food Easing factors Rest is better than chewing, although remains painful Drinking fluid Ice Night Wakes up because of pain Grinds teeth when asleep (according to partner) Daily pattern Constant pain that worsens during and directly after opening the mouth or chewing General health Using prescribed sedatives due stress at work. No other problems reported Attitude/expectations Given the symptoms she expects that it may take some time for them to settle Pain and dysfunction scores VAS current pain at rest = 3 VAS usual level of pain during chewing in the last week = 7 VAS worst level of pain during opening the mouth in the last week = 9 Objective examination Palpation Skin temperature (T sk ) normal Left TMJ painful on palpation TMJ movement and clicking can be felt when placing the index finger in the auditory canal and opening the mouth No signs of TMJ dislocation when comparing left with right Muscle length External pterygoid muscle feels tight and painful on opening of the mouth (palpation through the mouth) Functional testing, including ROM and strength Opening of the mouth is limited. It can accommodate two fingers only. Normally, the span is large enough to accommodate three fingers ( Hoppenfield 1986 ) Asymmetrical mandibular motion with severe swinging to the left when opening the mouth Questions 1. What is your provisional diagnosis? 2. What signs and symptoms lead you to this diagnosis? 3. How will you address these in your treatment plan? 4. What kind of common and less common problems need to be excluded? 5. How likely is it that the patient’s stress and teeth grinding contribute to the current complaint? 6. How will the expectations of the patient influence your treatment? 7. Is the patient likely to benefit from referral to other health professionals? CASE STUDY 2 Headache Subjective examination Subject 29-year-old male working on Help Desk in Information and Computer Technology HPC Gradual onset of headaches and cervical pain about 3/52 ago Cannot recall precipitating incident Headaches becoming more frequent (now daily) and lasting longer (up to 3 hours) Has deep ache (non-throbbing) radiating from the back of the occiput to the right frontal region. Also complaining of stiffness like pain in the right side of the cervical spine. Neck pain and headache seem related (see Figure 8.1 ) FIGURE 8.1 Body chart – Case Study 2 . PMH Car accident 10 years ago which led to cervical pain for about 3/52. No problems since apart from an occasional stiff neck Aggravating factors Prolonged work at the computer (if more than 2 hours brings on headache) Reversing the car reproduces slight cervical stiffness Easing factors Analgesia dulls the headache Night Sleep undisturbed Daily pattern Seems to depend on how long he has spent at the computer General health In good health, no weight loss No complaints of dizziness, no nausea or vomiting Assessed as being depressed, has been taking antidepressants over the last 3/12 Investigations No X-rays or other investigations at this stage Attitude/expectations At the moment headache is not affecting him a lot but wanted to get it checked out in case it is something serious Keen not to miss any work Intends to continue normal recreation of sail boarding this weekend Pain and dysfunction scores Neck Disability Index: 14% Disability VAS level of pain when headache is most severe (after working at the computer for 2 hours) = 6 Physical examination Observation Forward head posture with a slouched sitting posture Palpation Hypo-mobility of upper cervical joints on the right, with reproduction of local cervical pain Increased muscle tone in right upper trapezius and right levator scapulae Movements Active movements Right cervical rotation equals 60° with slight stiffness in neck Left cervical rotation equals 75–80° Limited cervical retraction, feels stiff Muscle function Decreased strength and endurance of the deep cervical neck flexors as determined by the cranio-cervical flexion test ( Jull et al 1999 ) Neurodynamic testing Upper limb neurodynamic/tension test (base test): In 90° shoulder abduction and full external rotation, right elbow extension lacks 40° while left lacks 30°. Reproducing local neck pain, which is eased with cervical lateral flexion towards the right Neurological tests (tests of nerve conduction) Not assessed Questions 1. What is your provisional diagnosis? 2. What signs and symptoms led to your provisional diagnosis? 3. How will you address these in your treatment plan? 4. What kind of common and less common problems need to be excluded? 5. How relevant are work details for this patient? 6. How will the expectations of the patient influence your treatment? 7. Is the patient likely to benefit from referral to other health professionals? CASE STUDY 3 Neck pain – case one Subjective examination Subject 32-year-old male accountant HPC Prolonged sitting (all day) at a conference 3/52 previously Noticed onset of left lower cervical and interscapular pain at the end of the day On waking the next morning pain had spread to the posterior aspect of the arm and forearm as far as the middle three fingers (see Figure 8.2 ) FIGURE 8.2 Body chart – Case Study 3 . Seen by doctor 1/52 ago. Doctor ordered plain X-rays including oblique views that did not show any abnormality Has not improved at all since onset of symptoms Medical history High cholesterol, overweight, sedentary lifestyle Minor neck complaints that usually settled within 2 or 3 days Aggravating factors Sitting for more than 10 minutes increases neck pain. More than 30 minutes increases arm pain Looking up or to the left increases neck and arm pain Lifting briefcase with left hand aggravates neck and interscapular pain Easing factors Neck pain relieved by lying supine Arm pain relieved by lying supine with left arm above head Night Can sleep 2–3 hours at a time before being woken by increased neck and interscapular pain Changing position helps to decrease the pain Daily pattern Increased symptoms with increased amounts of sitting, particularly if using computer Medication Was prescribed non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication (Meloxicam) which helps take the edge off the neck pain Attitude/expectations Wants to know what the problem is, particularly as the X-rays did not show any abnormality Feels that something might be ‘out’ in his neck. If it could be ‘put back in’ the symptoms should resolve Physical examination Observation Sits with forward head posture Cervical active movements in sitting Extension reproduces pain in the neck and left arm at 30°. Movement occurs mainly in the upper and mid-cervical regions. Very little movement in the lower cervical or upper thoracic areas Right rotation produces a stretching in the left cervical region at 75° Left rotation reproduces left neck and interscapular pain at 40° Palpation Increased tone and tenderness noted in the left paraspinal muscles (cervical and upper thoracic) and left scalene muscles Local pain and left arm pain reproduced by postero-anterior (PA) pressures over the spinous processes of C6 and C7 and over the C6 and C7 articular pillars on the left Generalized stiffness noted with PA pressures in the mid and upper thoracic regions Segmental neurological examination Absent left triceps jerk Weakness in left triceps (25% of right side) Decreased sensation to light touch over the tip of the left middle finger Questions 1. What is the most likely source of the patient’s arm pain? 2. What is the most likely source of the patient’s neck and interscapular pain? 3. What are other possible symptoms sources? 4. Are there reasons to be cautious in administering physiotherapy treatment? 5. What would an appropriate initial physiotherapy treatment involve? 6. What would a longer-term management programme include? 7. What is the likely prognosis? 8. Is referral to other health professionals warranted? CASE STUDY 4 Neck pain – case two Subjective examination Subject 23-year-old female personal assistant HPC Rear end motor car accident 2/7 ago Immediate onset of cervical pain and stiffness (left and right). Both pain and stiffness have been increasing. Pain is now constant Vague headache started today (see Figure 8.3 ) FIGURE 8.3 Body chart – Case Study 4 . Seen by doctor yesterday who organised an X-ray (no abnormality detected) and referred patient to physiotherapy PMH Left knee reconstruction 3 years ago with good return of function since No past history of neck complaints Aggravating factors Turning head to either side, especially if movement is quick Travelling in car – took 20 minutes to settle after 30-minute car trip Easing factors Supine with head supported on one pillow Felt a bit easier under hot shower Night Wakes often due to discomfort Sleeps on 3 pillows Difficulty turning in bed due to pain Daily pattern Constant pain that gradually worsens during the day General health Taking non-prescription analgesics every 4 hours on advice of doctor. No other medications Not seeing the doctor for any other health problems Attitude/expectations Anxious about prognosis Worried about how much work she will have to miss as she only started in her current position 3/12 ago Pain and dysfunction scores VAS current pain at rest = 5 VAS level of pain after 30 minute car trip = 8.5 Physical examination Observation Walking slowly and all movements are guarded Removes jacket slowly and with great care Neck in slight protracted posture Palpation Generalized tenderness to light palpation of cervical spine (central, left and right) Increased muscle spasm left and right paraspinal muscles Further detailed palpation not possible because therapist wary of exacerbating symptoms Active movements Left rotation equals 30° before pain started increasing Right rotation equals 35° before pain started increasing Attempt to retract cervical spine caused increased pain No other movements tested today Questions 1. What is your provisional diagnosis? 2. Which of the signs and symptoms will you place on your priority list? 3. How will you address these in your treatment plan? 4. What kind of common and less common problems need to be excluded? 5. How relevant are work details for this patient? 6. How will the expectations of the patient influence your treatment? 7. Is the patient likely to benefit from referral to other health professionals? CASE STUDY 5 Thoracic pain Subjective examination Subject 60-year-old male lawyer Presents with bilateral lower thoracic pain with radiation of symptoms anteriorly to the lower sternal area (see Figure 8.4 ) FIGURE 8.4 Body chart – Case Study 5 . Had a similar problem 5 years previously that settled with physiotherapy which resolved after three sessions of passive mobilisation directed to the thoracic spine HPC Noticed onset of symptoms 4/52 previously after lifting pots while gardening. Pain initially felt in sternal area, then onset of thoracic pain over the course of the day Pain initially intermittent, now constant at a level of VAS 2/10 at best and VAS 7/10 at worst Medical history Noticed 5 kg of weight loss in previous 4/52 that could not be explained by other factors Had noticed intermittent, generalised, mild (VAS 1–2/10), aches and pains in trunk, arms and legs over the previous 3/12 that had worsened slightly over the previous 4/52 Aggravating factors Prolonged sitting for greater than 20 minutes at work would increase posterior and anterior chest pains to VAS 6/10 Easing factors Standing and walking for 10 minutes decreases all symptoms to VAS 2/10 Night Wakes 3–4 times each night with increased symptoms in thoracic and sternal areas. Has to get out of bed and walk around to ease pain. Tends to notice generalised aches and pains associated with increased sweating at night Daily pattern Dependent on amount of sitting during the day. More thoracic and sternal pain at end of day when sitting a lot Medication Nil Attitude/expectations Expects that physiotherapy will ease symptoms as they did for a past episode of similar pain Physical examination Observation Increased thoracic kyphosis noted while sitting. Able to actively correct sitting posture, although this increases thoracic pain slightly Thoracic active movements in sitting Extension is restricted by about 50% and reproduces posterior thoracic pain with overpressures localised to the mid/lower thoracic spine Thoracic rotation feels stiff but no pain reproduced Flexion is normal in range and reproduces a stretching feeling in the mid thoracic area Palpation Generalised stiffness noted on midline and unilateral postero-anterior (PA) pressures from T2–T10 Posterior thoracic and anterior pain reproduced with midline PA pressures over T7–T8. These pains settled quickly once the pressure was released Palpation of the ribs, inferior part of the sternum and upper part of rectus abdominis did not reveal any increased tenderness Questions 1. What are your hypotheses regarding the likely source of the thoracic and sternal pains? 2. What would an appropriate initial physiotherapy treatment involve? 3. Are there examination findings that would make you suspect a non-musculoskeletal source of the symptoms? 4. What are red flags? 5. Is referral to other health professionals warranted? CASE STUDY 6 Low back pain – case one Subjective examination Subject 44-year-old male bank manager HPC 4/7 ago bent to reach into boot of car and felt slight backache. Thought it would settle so played golf anyway. Next morning severe low back pain with aching pain radiating down the back of the right leg to just below the knee. Has no pins and needles or numbness (see Figure 8.5 ) FIGURE 8.5 Body chart – Case Study 6 . PMH Has had four or five episodes of low back pain over the last 8 years, usually settles quickly in 2 or 3 days Has not required treatment with previous episodes Aggravating factors Finds it difficult to put shoes and socks on in the morning After driving to work (about 40 minutes) found leg pain had worsened Can only sit for about 15 to 20 minutes at a time at work Has noticed that sneezing increased back and leg pain Easing factors Lying on back eventually relieves the leg pain Standing and walking seem to help a little Night Pain gradually eases after initial discomfort Is waking at night but finds can get back to sleep quite quickly when changes position Daily pattern Back stiff and aches getting out of bed first thing in the morning but eases after shower Back pain is worse by the end of the day, and leg pain is more constant by the end of the day General health Taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) with slight improvement At recent annual review doctor advised to increase physical activity to reduce weight (BMI 26.4) and adjust diet (cholesterol 6.4). Otherwise fit and well Attitude/expectations Very keen not to miss club Stableford golf competition this weekend (in 3/7) Intending to cope with work as best he can. Very busy at work so reluctant to take time off Pain and dysfunction scores Oswestry Disability Score: 36% Disability VAS level of pain after 40 minute car trip: back = 8, leg = 6 Physical examination Observation Slight left-sided contralateral list (when observed from behind in standing shoulders are to the left relative to the hips) Changes position regularly when in sitting position Palpation Increased tone, right erector spinae in the lumbar region Central postero-anterior pressures over the lumbar spine reproduced back pain (but not leg pain) at L4 and L5 Unilateral pressures were painful on the right at L4 and L5 Movements Active movements Lumbar flexion in standing limited (2 cm below the knee) Lumbar extension in standing markedly limited Left and right rotation (assessed in sitting) both more than 60° Attempt to correct contralateral list led to increased back pain Repeated active movements Flexion in standing repeated 10 times led to increased back pain and increase of leg pain Extension in standing repeated 15 times abolished leg pain, and increased range – back pain remained Repeated correction of contralateral list (side gliding to the right) led to reduced central back pain and slightly increased range Neurodynamic tests Straight leg raise: right = 70° left = 70° Slump test not evaluated Neurological tests (tests of nerve conduction) Muscle strength in myotomes L3 to S1, left = right Sensation in dermatomes L2 to S1, left = right Reflexes (patella tendon and Achilles), brisk left = right Questions 1. What is your provisional diagnosis? 2. What is the likely source of the right leg pain? 3. Which of the signs and symptoms will you place on your priority list? 4. How will you address these in your treatment plan? 5. What kind of common and less common problems need to be excluded? 6. How relevant are work details for this patient? 7. How will the expectations of the patient influence your treatment? 8. Is the patient likely to benefit from referral to other health professionals? CASE STUDY 7 Low back pain – case two Subjective examination Subject 49-year-female assembly worker at automotive manufacturer HPC Complaining of increasing back pain over the last 14/12. Back pain is in the central low back region and radiates into both gluteal regions – no leg pain (see Figure 8.6 ). Has been off work for the last 6/12 with no improvement in pain FIGURE 8.6 Body chart – Case Study 7 . Injured back when installing car upholstery 14/12 ago. Initially had 3/7 off work and experienced some slow improvement over the first 3/12 Has had manipulative physiotherapy involving manipulation, mobilisation and traction with no benefit. Also tried chiropractic without benefit PMH 15-year history of intermittent low back pain usually no more than a few days off work Cholecystectomy 6 years ago Aggravating factors Prolonged walking or standing (more than 15 minutes) increases ache Prolonged sitting (more than 15 minutes) increases ache Unable to do weekly shopping or housework as these activities aggravate the ache Easing factors Lying down but only for about 30 minutes, as gets stiff when lying in one position for too long Night Finds it difficult to get comfortable, wakes when turning Not getting good-quality sleep any more Daily pattern Gradually worse by the end of the day General health Has gained weight over the last 14/12 (about 6 kg) Assessed as being depressed, has been taking antidepressants over the last 3/12 Investigations X-ray shows mild bilateral degeneration of the L4–5 facets CT scan shows a minor disc bulge at L4–5 and L5–S1 with no nerve root involvement Attitude/expectations Has reduced activity level to avoid aggravating back Believes that if she can find the right practitioner then they will fix her Very concerned with the CT scan report and the diagnosis of disc pathology Has been more short-tempered with family and friends since her back problem began Her spouse has been very supportive and has willingly taken over tasks such as housework and shopping Pain and dysfunction scores Oswestry Disability Score: 72% Disability VAS level of pain after 15 minutes of standing or sitting = 7.5 Physical examination Observation Exhibits pain behaviours including grimacing, and placing hand on back Changes position regularly when sitting and standing Walking pattern is slow and guarded Palpation Central palpation of the lumbar spine at L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5 painful Unilateral pressures are painful left and right at L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5 Movements Active movements Lumbar flexion in standing limited (2 cm above the knee) Lumbar extension in standing moderately limited (estimated half of expected range) Left and right rotation (assessed in sitting) both about 40° Neural mobility tests Straight leg raise on right = 50° left = 50° Able to fully extend knee in upright sitting Slump test not evaluated Neurological tests (tests of nerve conduction) • Normal no abnormality detected Questions 1. What is your provisional diagnosis? 2. How do you interpret the X-ray and CT scan reports? 3. Which of the signs and symptoms will you place on your priority list? 4. How will you address these in your treatment plan? 5. What kind of common and less common problems need to be excluded? 6. How relevant are work details for this patient? 7. What are yellow flags and how are they relevant for this patient? 8. Is the patient likely to benefit from referral to other health professionals? CASE STUDY 8 Shoulder pain Subjective examination Subject 47-year-old female factory worker Right arm dominant HPC Right shoulder pain which started 1/52 ago when dragging a heavy item onto the conveyor belt. Routinely she has to pull, lift, and reach overhead PMH Low back pain episodes since work-related lifting injury Asthma and frequent coughing Aggravating factors At work: Overhead work, lifting and carrying boxes In transit: Driving car, riding a bike with wide handlebars. At home: Preparing meals, working at the computer, knitting Easing factors Rest Avoiding overhead work or holding elbows out when lifting or carrying items Night Wakes frequently because of pain, particularly when sleeping on the painful shoulder Daily pattern Constant nagging pain that worsens during activities as mentioned above (see aggravating factors ) General health Asthma attacks. Smokes. Using bronchodilatators as needed Attitude/expectations Is afraid that she may need to look for another job due to experiencing increasing shoulder problems at work Wants better duties within the factory as some of her colleagues have managed to do Pain and dysfunction scores VAS current pain at rest = 3 VAS usual level of pain during aggravating activity in the last week = 7 VAS worst level of pain in the last week = 9 Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI): Pain score = 60%, Disability score = 45%, Total score = 50.8% ( Roach et al 1991 ) Objective examination Standing with arms relaxed Shoulders protracted and depressed (right > left) Right shoulder abducted and elbow flexed Hyper kyphosis Shortness of breath with upper chest breathing Palpation Skin temperature (T sk ) normal Tenderness of subscapularis, supraspinatus and serratus posterior superior with palpable trigger points Painful insertion of subscapularis and supraspinatus on the humerus Palpable click on shoulder abduction Muscle length and strength Tightness of the subscapularis, pectoralis minor Weakness of rhomboids, supraspinatus Functional and other testing, including ROM Painful arc when abducting arm (90–115° abduction) with audible click (VAS rises to 6 during this impingement) Hawkins and Kennedy impingement test (compressing the subacromial tissues by internal rotation in 90° shoulder flexion) was positive ( Ginn 2003 ) and VAS rises to 8 Apprehension test for shoulder stability and SLAP lesion tests were negative, indicating integrity of joint capsule, labrum and ligaments ( Brukner et al 2001e , Ginn 2003 , Hoppenfield 1986 ) Shoulder elevation reduced by 10° with early scapular movement when comparing with left shoulder (VAS rises to 5) Pain on resistance against external rotation and abduction (VAS rises to 8) Reduced internal rotation and adduction strength when pushing palm of the hand on the table when sitting at the table (VAS rises to 7) Difficulty placing right hand behind back. Positive Gerbers’ test (resisting against hand when patient is pushing hand away from the spine (VAS rises to 8) Questions 1. What is your provisional diagnosis? 2. What signs and symptoms lead you to this diagnosis? 3. Describe the mechanism that can leads to this condition. 4. How will you address these signs and symptoms in your treatment plan? 5. What kind of common and less common problems need to be excluded? 6. Can patient’s asthma and hyper kyphosis contribute to the shoulder complaint? 7. How will the expectation of the patient influence your treatment? 8. Is it possible that outcome measures do not reflect the severity of pain and disability experienced by the patient? 9. Is the patient likely to benefit from referral to other health professionals? CASE STUDY 9 Elbow pain Subjective examination Subject 39-year-old male carpenter Right hand dominant HPC Right lateral elbow pain off and on for at least 5/12. Insidious onset Worsened 4/52 ago when his nail gun broke down and he was forced to use a hammer all day Severe pain and reduced strength, particularly when using his arm during activities such as gripping, holding and lifting. Pain radiates into forearm No history of locking PMH Fractured ribs 3 years ago due to fall at work. Landed on his right side, and elbow was pushed into the ribs. No elbow symptoms until 5/12 ago Never experienced any symptoms of the cervical or thoracic spine Minor injuries such as an ankle sprain, mainly due to sport Aggravating factors Firm gripping (e.g. pliers) Hammering Screw driving Using a jackhammer Driving (car has no power steering) Closing a tap Knocking the elbow Easing factors Rest Ice Night Constant ache. Lying on elbow or pulling up the blanket makes it worse Daily pattern Constant pain that worsens during and directly after activity General health No other health problems reported. Not using any medication or receiving any other medical care Attitude/expectations Is disappointed that his elbow problem hasn’t improved over time as his other injuries did Experiencing increasing problems at work. Is afraid that he will lose his job One of his colleagues experienced major improvement after physiotherapy treatment and he hopes that it will help him too Expects that it may take some time since he wants to stay at work Pain and dysfunction scores VAS current pain at rest = 4 VAS usual level of pain during activity in the last week = 8 VAS worst level of pain in the last week = 9–10 Upper Extremity Functional Index (UEFI) 35/80 ( Stanford et al 2001 ) Objective examination Arm at rest while standing Elbow flexed (right > left) Wrist flexed (right > left) Forearm supinated (right > left) Palpation Skin temperature (T sk ) normal Lateral epicondyle extremely painful with some palpable swelling Tenderness extensor carpi radialis brevis and longus Thickening in extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB) Difficult to palpate for tenderness of capitellum radii due to surrounding tissue swelling and pain Muscle length ECRB – tight (flexion and ulnar deviation of the wrist, pronation of the forearm, and slight extension of elbow) Extensor carpi radialis longus – tight (flexion and ulnar deviation of the wrist, pronation of the forearm, and complete extension of elbow) Functional testing, including ROM and strength Elbow extension showed pain in at end of ROM (VAS rises to 6) Forearm pronation/supination showed full ROM (VAS rises to 5) Reduced grip strength (VAS rises from 4 to 9 during firm gripping) Difficulty opening pushing door handle and opening door (VAS rises to 7) Difficulty lifting an object with palm of hand facing down (VAS rises to 8) Resistance against dorsiflexion in a dorsiflexed position of the wrist, with fist closed, caused severe pain on the lateral side of the elbow Questions 1. What is your provisional diagnosis? 2. What signs and symptoms lead you to this diagnosis? 3. Describe the mechanism that can lead to the condition 4. What will you include in your treatment plan? 5. What kind of common and less common problems need to be excluded? 6. How likely does the patient’s previous fall contribute to the current complaint? 7. How will the expectations of the patient influence your treatment? 8. Is the patient likely to benefit from referral to other health professionals? CASE STUDY 10 Hand weakness and pain Subjective examination Subject 56-year-old woman who works part-time as a kindergarten assistant Right hand dominant HPC Pain, numbness and tingling noticed in right hand (particularly in the thumb, index and middle fingers) over the last 6/52, especially at night. Insidious onset Has started to have difficulty using right hand for gripping and it is starting to affect work as a kindergarten assistant and tennis Feels it is getting worse, because pain is now extending up the forearm. Is now waking her during the night PMH Diagnosed with non-insulin-dependent diabetes 5 years ago, currently well controlled with diet and exercise (walks for 45 minutes three times a week and plays social tennis twice a week) Knee arthroscopy with partial left medial menisectomy 12 years ago after tennis injury, recovered well Aggravating factors Gripping (tennis racquet after 1 set, a feeling of weakness) Opening jars Packing up play equipment at kindergarten Sleeping Easing factors Gets a little relief from changing position and shaking out wrist Aspirin (started aspirin 2/52 ago on advice of GP), may have helped a little Night Now waking every night (once only) with right wrist pain and numbness Daily pattern Symptoms are dependent on activity. Finds it is painful at end of shift at the kindergarten and after tennis. Otherwise not troubling too much during the day Attitude/expectations Enjoys her regular exercise (especially tennis) so is keen to get the problem fixed She has friends who had surgery for something that sounded similar so is not sure why she was referred to physiotherapy or how it might help Pain and dysfunction scores VAS current pain at rest = 1.5 VAS worst level of pain in the last week = 7 Levine symptom severity scale = 1.9/5.0 Levine functional status scale = 1.4/5.0 Physical examination Observation No abnormality detected No wasting of right thenar eminence Palpation Slight reduction to light touch on the palmar surface of the right thumb and 1st and 2nd finger Movement (right side) Wrist flexion = 60°, no pain Wrist extension = 55°, no pain Wrist supination = 90° from mid-prone, no pain Wrist pronation = 90° from mid-prone, no pain Finger IP flexion OK, no pain Finger MCP flexion OK, no pain Thumb flexion, abduction and opposition OK, no pain Functional testing, including ROM and strength Grip strength assessed on Jamar dynamometer (right = 27 kg with VAS = 3, left = 35 kg) Phalen’s test (sustained bilateral wrist flexion) reproduced numbness on palmar surface of index and middle after 45 seconds Upper limb tension test with a median nerve bias: reproduced right hand symptoms which eased on release of shoulder depression ( Butler 2000 ) Questions 1. What is your provisional diagnosis? 2. What are the anatomical relationships that explain your provisional diagnosis and the patient’s symptoms and signs? 3. Explain the significance of the night symptoms and the positive Phalen’s sign. 4. Are there other assessment techniques that could be used to confirm the provisional diagnosis? 5. Find out what items the Levine symptom severity and functional status scales assesses ( Levine et al 1993 ) and then discuss how this patient rates. 6. Which of the symptoms and signs will you place on your priority list? 7. How will you address these in your physiotherapy treatment plan? 8. Are there other problems that could be contributing to the symptoms? 9. The patient has some friends who had surgery for something similar. What is the role of surgery for this condition? CASE STUDY 11 Groin pain Subjective examination Subject 17-year-old male student Playing in high-level senior soccer team with training three times a week in addition to a match on the weekend Plays as midfielder Right foot dominant HPC About 4/12 ago noticed slight stiffness in groin the morning after a strenuous match. Insidious onset Gradually got worse until about 2/12 ago could not train or play without right-sided groin pain. Performance was also waning with a loss of power and acceleration On advice of team trainer rested from all training and playing for 6/52, but on resumption of training 2/52 ago groin pain returned immediately. Seen by GP who ordered X-rays and a bone scan, and referred him to physiotherapy PMH Well-controlled asthma. Uses one puff of a preventer daily (Flixitide). Rarely needs to use reliever (Ventolin) Episode of Osgood–Schlatters syndrome when 14 years old after joining soccer development squad. Resolved after 1 year through modification of activity Otherwise well and not seeing the doctor for any other condition Aggravating factors Running, especially when sprinting and when cutting (changing direction) Kicking, especially when taking a corner No pain on sneezing or coughing Easing factors Avoidance of aggravating activities Night Sleep unaffected Daily pattern Symptoms are dependent on activity. Now affecting whenever tries to run or kick a ball Notices in morning, takes 10 to 15 minutes to ease Attitude/expectations Concerned that the problem appears to be getting worse. Had thought it would just go away Receives payment for playing in soccer team which he had planned to continue to help support his studies at university Pain and dysfunction scores VAS current pain at rest = 0 VAS worst level of pain in the last week = 9 (kicking across from a corner) VAS worst level of pain in the last week = 8 (when attempting to sprint) Physical examination Observation In standing, no obvious wasting or pelvic asymmetry With walking, observed excessive pelvic tilting (obliquity) in the frontal plane Palpation Tender to palpation at tendon attaching to right medial inferior pubic ramus Trigger point tenderness to muscle belly distal to medial inferior pubic ramus Tender at right side of pubic symphysis Movement Right hip flexion = 130°, no pain = left Right hip extension = 25°, no pain = left Right hip abduction = 45°, pain (VAS = 3), left = 55° Right hip internal/external rotation = left Functional testing Squeeze test (patient supine with hip flexed 45°, examiner places fist between patient knees, and asks patient to bilaterally adduct) reproduced right groin pain (VAS = 4) Resisted straight-leg right hip adduction reproduced right groin pain (VAS = 4) Right hip quadrant (passive hip flexion, adduction and internal rotation) only very slight pain, similar to discomfort when tested on the left side Thomas test (slight restriction on right compared to left with only slight reproduction of pain (VAS = 0.5) when hip flexion resisted) Abdominal muscle testing: 1. global muscles, only slight pain (VAS = 1) on resisted abdominal flexion 2. stabilising muscles, assessed in supine with a pressure cuff biofeedback unit placed in the small of the back. He could increase the pressure in the cuff from 40 to 43 mmHg for 3 seconds 4 times before unwanted activity from global muscles was observed Standing on one leg (Trendelenburg test), only slight drop of pelvis observed, within normal limits (<10°) Investigations (completed 1/52 ago) X-ray: no abnormality detected Bone scan: indicated some increased uptake in the right inferior pubic region Questions 1. What is your provisional diagnosis? 2. What are the key findings from your examination that led to your provisional diagnosis? 3. What other common causes of groin pain did you consider in making your diagnosis? 4. What are some less common causes of groin pain that you need to consider when examining this patient? Briefly explain why these are considered unlikely at this stage. 5. What is Osgood–Schlatter’s disease and what is its relevance to the current condition? 6. What are the significance of the bone scan findings and the assessment of the abdominal stabilising muscles, and do these findings tie in with the other assessment findings? 7. Which of the symptoms and signs will you place on your priority list? 8. How will you address these in your physiotherapy treatment plan? CASE STUDY 12 Hip and thigh pain Subjective examination Subject 38-year-old female Right leg dominant HPC Right lateral hip and thigh pain that can radiate to knee Started approximately 1/12 ago Woke up with pain after a long shopping day PMH Overweight (BMI ≥27) Neck pain and headaches Aggravating factors Walking Sleeping on right side Sleeping on a hard mattress Easing factors Rest and ice Night Wakes up frequently, particularly when lying on right side, or on left side with right hip in adduction and knee resting on the mattress Daily pattern Pain during and after prolonged standing and walking General health Overweight. No other problems reported. Not using any medication Attitude/expectations Is not sure whether treatment will provide immediate relief, but hopes that at least she will be able to sleep better. Between pain experienced at night and her youngest child waking up and demanding attention she does not get much sleep and feels fatigued Pain and dysfunction scores VAS current pain at rest before activity = 2 VAS usual level of pain when waking up at night = 8 VAS usual level of pain during and after activity in the last week = 7 VAS worst level of pain in the last week = 9 Lower Extremity Functional Scale 48/80 ( Binkley et al 1999 ) Objective examination Standing Visibly overweight Wide hips, but knees are touching each other Valgus position of knees and ankles Pronated feet with reasonable longitudinal arches Palpation Although skin temperature (T sk ) around hip and along the thigh appeared normal, that of the posterior aspect of the trochanter may have been a little elevated Tenderness of the iliotibial tract and the bony posterior aspect of the greater trochanter, with a boggy feeling around the location of the bursa ( Hoppenfield 1986 )

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Case Presentation

Case study: a patient with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes and complex comorbidities whose diabetes care is managed by an advanced practice nurse.

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Geralyn Spollett; Case Study: A Patient With Uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes and Complex Comorbidities Whose Diabetes Care Is Managed by an Advanced Practice Nurse. Diabetes Spectr 1 January 2003; 16 (1): 32–36. https://doi.org/10.2337/diaspect.16.1.32

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The specialized role of nursing in the care and education of people with diabetes has been in existence for more than 30 years. Diabetes education carried out by nurses has moved beyond the hospital bedside into a variety of health care settings. Among the disciplines involved in diabetes education, nursing has played a pivotal role in the diabetes team management concept. This was well illustrated in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) by the effectiveness of nurse managers in coordinating and delivering diabetes self-management education. These nurse managers not only performed administrative tasks crucial to the outcomes of the DCCT, but also participated directly in patient care. 1  

The emergence and subsequent growth of advanced practice in nursing during the past 20 years has expanded the direct care component, incorporating aspects of both nursing and medical care while maintaining the teaching and counseling roles. Both the clinical nurse specialist (CNS) and nurse practitioner (NP) models, when applied to chronic disease management, create enhanced patient-provider relationships in which self-care education and counseling is provided within the context of disease state management. Clement 2 commented in a review of diabetes self-management education issues that unless ongoing management is part of an education program, knowledge may increase but most clinical outcomes only minimally improve. Advanced practice nurses by the very nature of their scope of practice effectively combine both education and management into their delivery of care.

Operating beyond the role of educator, advanced practice nurses holistically assess patients’ needs with the understanding of patients’ primary role in the improvement and maintenance of their own health and wellness. In conducting assessments, advanced practice nurses carefully explore patients’ medical history and perform focused physical exams. At the completion of assessments, advanced practice nurses, in conjunction with patients, identify management goals and determine appropriate plans of care. A review of patients’ self-care management skills and application/adaptation to lifestyle is incorporated in initial histories, physical exams, and plans of care.

Many advanced practice nurses (NPs, CNSs, nurse midwives, and nurse anesthetists) may prescribe and adjust medication through prescriptive authority granted to them by their state nursing regulatory body. Currently, all 50 states have some form of prescriptive authority for advanced practice nurses. 3 The ability to prescribe and adjust medication is a valuable asset in caring for individuals with diabetes. It is a crucial component in the care of people with type 1 diabetes, and it becomes increasingly important in the care of patients with type 2 diabetes who have a constellation of comorbidities, all of which must be managed for successful disease outcomes.

Many studies have documented the effectiveness of advanced practice nurses in managing common primary care issues. 4 NP care has been associated with a high level of satisfaction among health services consumers. In diabetes, the role of advanced practice nurses has significantly contributed to improved outcomes in the management of type 2 diabetes, 5 in specialized diabetes foot care programs, 6 in the management of diabetes in pregnancy, 7 and in the care of pediatric type 1 diabetic patients and their parents. 8 , 9 Furthermore, NPs have also been effective providers of diabetes care among disadvantaged urban African-American patients. 10 Primary management of these patients by NPs led to improved metabolic control regardless of whether weight loss was achieved.

The following case study illustrates the clinical role of advanced practice nurses in the management of a patient with type 2 diabetes.

A.B. is a retired 69-year-old man with a 5-year history of type 2 diabetes. Although he was diagnosed in 1997, he had symptoms indicating hyperglycemia for 2 years before diagnosis. He had fasting blood glucose records indicating values of 118–127 mg/dl, which were described to him as indicative of “borderline diabetes.” He also remembered past episodes of nocturia associated with large pasta meals and Italian pastries. At the time of initial diagnosis, he was advised to lose weight (“at least 10 lb.”), but no further action was taken.

Referred by his family physician to the diabetes specialty clinic, A.B. presents with recent weight gain, suboptimal diabetes control, and foot pain. He has been trying to lose weight and increase his exercise for the past 6 months without success. He had been started on glyburide (Diabeta), 2.5 mg every morning, but had stopped taking it because of dizziness, often accompanied by sweating and a feeling of mild agitation, in the late afternoon.

A.B. also takes atorvastatin (Lipitor), 10 mg daily, for hypercholesterolemia (elevated LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, and elevated triglycerides). He has tolerated this medication and adheres to the daily schedule. During the past 6 months, he has also taken chromium picolinate, gymnema sylvestre, and a “pancreas elixir” in an attempt to improve his diabetes control. He stopped these supplements when he did not see any positive results.

He does not test his blood glucose levels at home and expresses doubt that this procedure would help him improve his diabetes control. “What would knowing the numbers do for me?,” he asks. “The doctor already knows the sugars are high.”

A.B. states that he has “never been sick a day in my life.” He recently sold his business and has become very active in a variety of volunteer organizations. He lives with his wife of 48 years and has two married children. Although both his mother and father had type 2 diabetes, A.B. has limited knowledge regarding diabetes self-care management and states that he does not understand why he has diabetes since he never eats sugar. In the past, his wife has encouraged him to treat his diabetes with herbal remedies and weight-loss supplements, and she frequently scans the Internet for the latest diabetes remedies.

During the past year, A.B. has gained 22 lb. Since retiring, he has been more physically active, playing golf once a week and gardening, but he has been unable to lose more than 2–3 lb. He has never seen a dietitian and has not been instructed in self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG).

A.B.’s diet history reveals excessive carbohydrate intake in the form of bread and pasta. His normal dinners consist of 2 cups of cooked pasta with homemade sauce and three to four slices of Italian bread. During the day, he often has “a slice or two” of bread with butter or olive oil. He also eats eight to ten pieces of fresh fruit per day at meals and as snacks. He prefers chicken and fish, but it is usually served with a tomato or cream sauce accompanied by pasta. His wife has offered to make him plain grilled meats, but he finds them “tasteless.” He drinks 8 oz. of red wine with dinner each evening. He stopped smoking more than 10 years ago, he reports, “when the cost of cigarettes topped a buck-fifty.”

The medical documents that A.B. brings to this appointment indicate that his hemoglobin A 1c (A1C) has never been <8%. His blood pressure has been measured at 150/70, 148/92, and 166/88 mmHg on separate occasions during the past year at the local senior center screening clinic. Although he was told that his blood pressure was “up a little,” he was not aware of the need to keep his blood pressure ≤130/80 mmHg for both cardiovascular and renal health. 11  

A.B. has never had a foot exam as part of his primary care exams, nor has he been instructed in preventive foot care. However, his medical records also indicate that he has had no surgeries or hospitalizations, his immunizations are up to date, and, in general, he has been remarkably healthy for many years.

Physical Exam

A physical examination reveals the following:

Weight: 178 lb; height: 5′2″; body mass index (BMI): 32.6 kg/m 2

Fasting capillary glucose: 166 mg/dl

Blood pressure: lying, right arm 154/96 mmHg; sitting, right arm 140/90 mmHg

Pulse: 88 bpm; respirations 20 per minute

Eyes: corrective lenses, pupils equal and reactive to light and accommodation, Fundi-clear, no arteriolovenous nicking, no retinopathy

Thyroid: nonpalpable

Lungs: clear to auscultation

Heart: Rate and rhythm regular, no murmurs or gallops

Vascular assessment: no carotid bruits; femoral, popliteal, and dorsalis pedis pulses 2+ bilaterally

Neurological assessment: diminished vibratory sense to the forefoot, absent ankle reflexes, monofilament (5.07 Semmes-Weinstein) felt only above the ankle

Lab Results

Results of laboratory tests (drawn 5 days before the office visit) are as follows:

Glucose (fasting): 178 mg/dl (normal range: 65–109 mg/dl)

Creatinine: 1.0 mg/dl (normal range: 0.5–1.4 mg/dl)

Blood urea nitrogen: 18 mg/dl (normal range: 7–30 mg/dl)

Sodium: 141 mg/dl (normal range: 135–146 mg/dl)

Potassium: 4.3 mg/dl (normal range: 3.5–5.3 mg/dl)

Lipid panel

    • Total cholesterol: 162 mg/dl (normal: <200 mg/dl)

    • HDL cholesterol: 43 mg/dl (normal: ≥40 mg/dl)

    • LDL cholesterol (calculated): 84 mg/dl (normal: <100 mg/dl)

    • Triglycerides: 177 mg/dl (normal: <150 mg/dl)

    • Cholesterol-to-HDL ratio: 3.8 (normal: <5.0)

AST: 14 IU/l (normal: 0–40 IU/l)

ALT: 19 IU/l (normal: 5–40 IU/l)

Alkaline phosphotase: 56 IU/l (normal: 35–125 IU/l)

A1C: 8.1% (normal: 4–6%)

Urine microalbumin: 45 mg (normal: <30 mg)

Based on A.B.’s medical history, records, physical exam, and lab results, he is assessed as follows:

Uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (A1C >7%)

Obesity (BMI 32.4 kg/m 2 )

Hyperlipidemia (controlled with atorvastatin)

Peripheral neuropathy (distal and symmetrical by exam)

Hypertension (by previous chart data and exam)

Elevated urine microalbumin level

Self-care management/lifestyle deficits

    • Limited exercise

    • High carbohydrate intake

    • No SMBG program

Poor understanding of diabetes

A.B. presented with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes and a complex set of comorbidities, all of which needed treatment. The first task of the NP who provided his care was to select the most pressing health care issues and prioritize his medical care to address them. Although A.B. stated that his need to lose weight was his chief reason for seeking diabetes specialty care, his elevated glucose levels and his hypertension also needed to be addressed at the initial visit.

The patient and his wife agreed that a referral to a dietitian was their first priority. A.B. acknowledged that he had little dietary information to help him achieve weight loss and that his current weight was unhealthy and “embarrassing.” He recognized that his glucose control was affected by large portions of bread and pasta and agreed to start improving dietary control by reducing his portion size by one-third during the week before his dietary consultation. Weight loss would also be an important first step in reducing his blood pressure.

The NP contacted the registered dietitian (RD) by telephone and referred the patient for a medical nutrition therapy assessment with a focus on weight loss and improved diabetes control. A.B.’s appointment was scheduled for the following week. The RD requested that during the intervening week, the patient keep a food journal recording his food intake at meals and snacks. She asked that the patient also try to estimate portion sizes.

Although his physical activity had increased since his retirement, it was fairly sporadic and weather-dependent. After further discussion, he realized that a week or more would often pass without any significant form of exercise and that most of his exercise was seasonal. Whatever weight he had lost during the summer was regained in the winter, when he was again quite sedentary.

A.B.’s wife suggested that the two of them could walk each morning after breakfast. She also felt that a treadmill at home would be the best solution for getting sufficient exercise in inclement weather. After a short discussion about the positive effect exercise can have on glucose control, the patient and his wife agreed to walk 15–20 minutes each day between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m.

A first-line medication for this patient had to be targeted to improving glucose control without contributing to weight gain. Thiazolidinediones (i.e., rosiglitizone [Avandia] or pioglitizone [Actos]) effectively address insulin resistance but have been associated with weight gain. 12 A sulfonylurea or meglitinide (i.e., repaglinide [Prandin]) can reduce postprandial elevations caused by increased carbohydrate intake, but they are also associated with some weight gain. 12 When glyburide was previously prescribed, the patient exhibited signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia (unconfirmed by SMBG). α-Glucosidase inhibitors (i.e., acarbose [Precose]) can help with postprandial hyperglycemia rise by blunting the effect of the entry of carbohydrate-related glucose into the system. However, acarbose requires slow titration, has multiple gastrointestinal (GI) side effects, and reduces A1C by only 0.5–0.9%. 13 Acarbose may be considered as a second-line therapy for A.B. but would not fully address his elevated A1C results. Metformin (Glucophage), which reduces hepatic glucose production and improves insulin resistance, is not associated with hypoglycemia and can lower A1C results by 1%. Although GI side effects can occur, they are usually self-limiting and can be further reduced by slow titration to dose efficacy. 14  

After reviewing these options and discussing the need for improved glycemic control, the NP prescribed metformin, 500 mg twice a day. Possible GI side effects and the need to avoid alcohol were of concern to A.B., but he agreed that medication was necessary and that metformin was his best option. The NP advised him to take the medication with food to reduce GI side effects.

The NP also discussed with the patient a titration schedule that increased the dosage to 1,000 mg twice a day over a 4-week period. She wrote out this plan, including a date and time for telephone contact and medication evaluation, and gave it to the patient.

During the visit, A.B. and his wife learned to use a glucose meter that features a simple two-step procedure. The patient agreed to use the meter twice a day, at breakfast and dinner, while the metformin dose was being titrated. He understood the need for glucose readings to guide the choice of medication and to evaluate the effects of his dietary changes, but he felt that it would not be “a forever thing.”

The NP reviewed glycemic goals with the patient and his wife and assisted them in deciding on initial short-term goals for weight loss, exercise, and medication. Glucose monitoring would serve as a guide and assist the patient in modifying his lifestyle.

A.B. drew the line at starting an antihypertensive medication—the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor enalapril (Vasotec), 5 mg daily. He stated that one new medication at a time was enough and that “too many medications would make a sick man out of me.” His perception of the state of his health as being represented by the number of medications prescribed for him gave the advanced practice nurse an important insight into the patient’s health belief system. The patient’s wife also believed that a “natural solution” was better than medication for treating blood pressure.

Although the use of an ACE inhibitor was indicated both by the level of hypertension and by the presence of microalbuminuria, the decision to wait until the next office visit to further evaluate the need for antihypertensive medication afforded the patient and his wife time to consider the importance of adding this pharmacotherapy. They were quite willing to read any materials that addressed the prevention of diabetes complications. However, both the patient and his wife voiced a strong desire to focus their energies on changes in food and physical activity. The NP expressed support for their decision. Because A.B. was obese, weight loss would be beneficial for many of his health issues.

Because he has a sedentary lifestyle, is >35 years old, has hypertension and peripheral neuropathy, and is being treated for hypercholestrolemia, the NP performed an electrocardiogram in the office and referred the patient for an exercise tolerance test. 11 In doing this, the NP acknowledged and respected the mutually set goals, but also provided appropriate pre-exercise screening for the patient’s protection and safety.

In her role as diabetes educator, the NP taught A.B. and his wife the importance of foot care, demonstrating to the patient his inability to feel the light touch of the monofilament. She explained that the loss of protective sensation from peripheral neuropathy means that he will need to be more vigilant in checking his feet for any skin lesions caused by poorly fitting footwear worn during exercise.

At the conclusion of the visit, the NP assured A.B. that she would share the plan of care they had developed with his primary care physician, collaborating with him and discussing the findings of any diagnostic tests and procedures. She would also work in partnership with the RD to reinforce medical nutrition therapies and improve his glucose control. In this way, the NP would facilitate the continuity of care and keep vital pathways of communication open.

Advanced practice nurses are ideally suited to play an integral role in the education and medical management of people with diabetes. 15 The combination of clinical skills and expertise in teaching and counseling enhances the delivery of care in a manner that is both cost-reducing and effective. Inherent in the role of advanced practice nurses is the understanding of shared responsibility for health care outcomes. This partnering of nurse with patient not only improves care but strengthens the patient’s role as self-manager.

Geralyn Spollett, MSN, C-ANP, CDE, is associate director and an adult nurse practitioner at the Yale Diabetes Center, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, at Yale University in New Haven, Conn. She is an associate editor of Diabetes Spectrum.

Note of disclosure: Ms. Spollett has received honoraria for speaking engagements from Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Aventis and has been a paid consultant for Aventis. Both companies produce products and devices for the treatment of diabetes.

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Patient Case #1: 27-Year-Old Woman With Bipolar Disorder

• Theresa Cerulli, MD
• Tina Matthews-Hayes, DNP, FNP, PMHNP

Custom Around the Practice Video Series

Experts in psychiatry review the case of a 27-year-old woman who presents for evaluation of a complex depressive disorder.

EP: 1 . Patient Case #1: 27-Year-Old Woman With Bipolar Disorder

Ep: 2 . clinical significance of bipolar disorder, ep: 3 . clinical impressions from patient case #1, ep: 4 . diagnosis of bipolar disorder, ep: 5 . treatment options for bipolar disorder, ep: 6 . patient case #2: 47-year-old man with treatment resistant depression (trd), ep: 7 . patient case #2 continued: novel second-generation antipsychotics, ep: 8 . role of telemedicine in bipolar disorder.

Michael E. Thase, MD : Hello and welcome to this Psychiatric Times™ Around the Practice , “Identification and Management of Bipolar Disorder. ”I’m Michael Thase, professor of psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Joining me today are: Dr Gustavo Alva, the medical director of ATP Clinical Research in Costa Mesa, California; Dr Theresa Cerulli, the medical director of Cerulli and Associates in North Andover, Massachusetts; and Dr Tina Matthew-Hayes, a dual-certified nurse practitioner at Western PA Behavioral Health Resources in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania.

Today we are going to highlight challenges with identifying bipolar disorder, discuss strategies for optimizing treatment, comment on telehealth utilization, and walk through 2 interesting patient cases. We’ll also involve our audience by using several polling questions, and these results will be shared after the program.

Without further ado, welcome and let’s begin. Here’s our first polling question. What percentage of your patients with bipolar disorder have 1 or more co-occurring psychiatric condition? a. 10%, b. 10%-30%, c. 30%-50%, d. 50%-70%, or e. more than 70%.

Now, here’s our second polling question. What percentage of your referred patients with bipolar disorder were initially misdiagnosed? Would you say a. less than 10%, b. 10%-30%, c. 30%-50%, d. more than 50%, up to 70%, or e. greater than 70%.

We’re going to go ahead to patient case No. 1. This is a 27-year-old woman who’s presented for evaluation of a complex depressive syndrome. She has not benefitted from 2 recent trials of antidepressants—sertraline and escitalopram. This is her third lifetime depressive episode. It began back in the fall, and she described the episode as occurring right “out of the blue.” Further discussion revealed, however, that she had talked with several confidantes about her problems and that she realized she had been disappointed and frustrated for being passed over unfairly for a promotion at work. She had also been saddened by the unusually early death of her favorite aunt.

Now, our patient has a past history of ADHD [attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder], which was recognized when she was in middle school and for which she took methylphenidate for adolescence and much of her young adult life. As she was wrapping up with college, she decided that this medication sometimes disrupted her sleep and gave her an irritable edge, and decided that she might be better off not taking it. Her medical history was unremarkable. She is taking escitalopram at the time of our initial evaluation, and the dose was just reduced by her PCP [primary care physician]from 20 mg to 10 mg because she subjectively thought the medicine might actually be making her worse.

On the day of her first visit, we get a PHQ-9 [9-item Patient Health Questionnaire]. The score is 16, which is in the moderate depression range. She filled out the MDQ [Mood Disorder Questionnaire] and scored a whopping 10, which is not the highest possible score but it is higher than 95% of people who take this inventory.

At the time of our interview, our patient tells us that her No. 1 symptom is her low mood and her ease to tears. In fact, she was tearful during the interview. She also reports that her normal trouble concentrating, attributable to the ADHD, is actually substantially worse. Additionally, in contrast to her usual diet, she has a tendency to overeat and may have gained as much as 5 kg over the last 4 months. She reports an irregular sleep cycle and tends to have periods of hypersomnolence, especially on the weekends, and then days on end where she might sleep only 4 hours a night despite feeling tired.

Upon examination, her mood is positively reactive, and by that I mean she can lift her spirits in conversation, show some preserved sense of humor, and does not appear as severely depressed as she subjectively describes. Furthermore, she would say that in contrast to other times in her life when she’s been depressed, that she’s actually had no loss of libido, and in fact her libido might even be somewhat increased. Over the last month or so, she’s had several uncharacteristic casual hook-ups.

So the differential diagnosis for this patient included major depressive disorder, recurrent unipolar with mixed features, versus bipolar II disorder, with an antecedent history of ADHD. I think the high MDQ score and recurrent threshold level of mixed symptoms within a diagnosable depressive episode certainly increase the chances that this patient’s illness should be thought of on the bipolar spectrum. Of course, this formulation is strengthened by the fact that she has an early age of onset of recurrent depression, that her current episode, despite having mixed features, has reverse vegetative features as well. We also have the observation that antidepressant therapy has seemed to make her condition worse, not better.

Transcript Edited for Clarity

Dr. Thase is a professor of psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Alva is the medical director of ATP Clinical Research in Costa Mesa, California.

Dr. Cerulli is the medical director of Cerulli and Associates in Andover, Massachusetts.

Dr. Tina Matthew-Hayes is a dual certified nurse practitioner at Western PA Behavioral Health Resources in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania.

To Be or Not to Be? Understanding False Positives in Bipolar Diagnosis

Blue Light, Depression, and Bipolar Disorder

Evaluating the Efficacy of Lumateperone for MDD and Bipolar Depression With Mixed Features

Four Myths About Lamotrigine

Efficacy of Modafinil for Treatment of Neurocognitive Impairment in Bipolar Disorder

Revisiting Modafinil/Armodafinil for the Treatment of Bipolar Disorder

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• J Can Chiropr Assoc
• v.52(4); 2008 Dec

Guidelines to the writing of case studies

Dr. brian budgell.

* Département chiropratique, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, 3351, boul des Forges, Trois-Rivières, Qc, Canada G9A 5H7

Dr. Brian Budgell, DC, PhD, JCCA Editorial Board

• Introduction

Case studies are an invaluable record of the clinical practices of a profession. While case studies cannot provide specific guidance for the management of successive patients, they are a record of clinical interactions which help us to frame questions for more rigorously designed clinical studies. Case studies also provide valuable teaching material, demonstrating both classical and unusual presentations which may confront the practitioner. Quite obviously, since the overwhelming majority of clinical interactions occur in the field, not in teaching or research facilities, it falls to the field practitioner to record and pass on their experiences. However, field practitioners generally are not well-practised in writing for publication, and so may hesitate to embark on the task of carrying a case study to publication. These guidelines are intended to assist the relatively novice writer – practitioner or student – in efficiently navigating the relatively easy course to publication of a quality case study. Guidelines are not intended to be proscriptive, and so throughout this document we advise what authors “may” or “should” do, rather than what they “must” do. Authors may decide that the particular circumstances of their case study justify digression from our recommendations.

Additional and useful resources for chiropractic case studies include:

• Waalen JK. Single subject research designs. J Can Chirop Assoc 1991; 35(2):95–97.
• Gleberzon BJ. A peer-reviewer’s plea. J Can Chirop Assoc 2006; 50(2):107.
• Merritt L. Case reports: an important contribution to chiropractic literature. J Can Chiropr Assoc 2007; 51(2):72–74.

Portions of these guidelines were derived from Budgell B. Writing a biomedical research paper. Tokyo: Springer Japan KK, 2008.

General Instructions

This set of guidelines provides both instructions and a template for the writing of case reports for publication. You might want to skip forward and take a quick look at the template now, as we will be using it as the basis for your own case study later on. While the guidelines and template contain much detail, your finished case study should be only 500 to 1,500 words in length. Therefore, you will need to write efficiently and avoid unnecessarily flowery language.

These guidelines for the writing of case studies are designed to be consistent with the “Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals” referenced elsewhere in the JCCA instructions to authors.

After this brief introduction, the guidelines below will follow the headings of our template. Hence, it is possible to work section by section through the template to quickly produce a first draft of your study. To begin with, however, you must have a clear sense of the value of the study which you wish to describe. Therefore, before beginning to write the study itself, you should gather all of the materials relevant to the case – clinical notes, lab reports, x-rays etc. – and form a clear picture of the story that you wish to share with your profession. At the most superficial level, you may want to ask yourself “What is interesting about this case?” Keep your answer in mind as your write, because sometimes we become lost in our writing and forget the message that we want to convey.

Another important general rule for writing case studies is to stick to the facts. A case study should be a fairly modest description of what actually happened. Speculation about underlying mechanisms of the disease process or treatment should be restrained. Field practitioners and students are seldom well-prepared to discuss physiology or pathology. This is best left to experts in those fields. The thing of greatest value that you can provide to your colleagues is an honest record of clinical events.

Finally, remember that a case study is primarily a chronicle of a patient’s progress, not a story about chiropractic. Editorial or promotional remarks do not belong in a case study, no matter how great our enthusiasm. It is best to simply tell the story and let the outcome speak for itself. With these points in mind, let’s begin the process of writing the case study:

• Title: The title page will contain the full title of the article. Remember that many people may find our article by searching on the internet. They may have to decide, just by looking at the title, whether or not they want to access the full article. A title which is vague or non-specific may not attract their attention. Thus, our title should contain the phrase “case study,” “case report” or “case series” as is appropriate to the contents. The two most common formats of titles are nominal and compound. A nominal title is a single phrase, for example “A case study of hypertension which responded to spinal manipulation.” A compound title consists of two phrases in succession, for example “Response of hypertension to spinal manipulation: a case study.” Keep in mind that titles of articles in leading journals average between 8 and 9 words in length.
• Other contents for the title page should be as in the general JCCA instructions to authors. Remember that for a case study, we would not expect to have more than one or two authors. In order to be listed as an author, a person must have an intellectual stake in the writing – at the very least they must be able to explain and even defend the article. Someone who has only provided technical assistance, as valuable as that may be, may be acknowledged at the end of the article, but would not be listed as an author. Contact information – either home or institutional – should be provided for each author along with the authors’ academic qualifications. If there is more than one author, one author must be identified as the corresponding author – the person whom people should contact if they have questions or comments about the study.
• Key words: Provide key words under which the article will be listed. These are the words which would be used when searching for the article using a search engine such as Medline. When practical, we should choose key words from a standard list of keywords, such as MeSH (Medical subject headings). A copy of MeSH is available in most libraries. If we can’t access a copy and we want to make sure that our keywords are included in the MeSH library, we can visit this address: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/meshbrowser.cgi

A narrative abstract consists of a short version of the whole paper. There are no headings within the narrative abstract. The author simply tries to summarize the paper into a story which flows logically.

A structured abstract uses subheadings. Structured abstracts are becoming more popular for basic scientific and clinical studies, since they standardize the abstract and ensure that certain information is included. This is very useful for readers who search for articles on the internet. Often the abstract is displayed by a search engine, and on the basis of the abstract the reader will decide whether or not to download the full article (which may require payment of a fee). With a structured abstract, the reader is more likely to be given the information which they need to decide whether to go on to the full article, and so this style is encouraged. The JCCA recommends the use of structured abstracts for case studies.

Since they are summaries, both narrative and structured abstracts are easier to write once we have finished the rest of the article. We include a template for a structured abstract and encourage authors to make use of it. Our sub-headings will be:

• Introduction: This consists of one or two sentences to describe the context of the case and summarize the entire article.
• Case presentation: Several sentences describe the history and results of any examinations performed. The working diagnosis and management of the case are described.
• Management and Outcome: Simply describe the course of the patient’s complaint. Where possible, make reference to any outcome measures which you used to objectively demonstrate how the patient’s condition evolved through the course of management.
• Discussion: Synthesize the foregoing subsections and explain both correlations and apparent inconsistencies. If appropriate to the case, within one or two sentences describe the lessons to be learned.
• Introduction: At the beginning of these guidelines we suggested that we need to have a clear idea of what is particularly interesting about the case we want to describe. The introduction is where we convey this to the reader. It is useful to begin by placing the study in a historical or social context. If similar cases have been reported previously, we describe them briefly. If there is something especially challenging about the diagnosis or management of the condition that we are describing, now is our chance to bring that out. Each time we refer to a previous study, we cite the reference (usually at the end of the sentence). Our introduction doesn’t need to be more than a few paragraphs long, and our objective is to have the reader understand clearly, but in a general sense, why it is useful for them to be reading about this case.

The next step is to describe the results of our clinical examination. Again, we should write in an efficient narrative style, restricting ourselves to the relevant information. It is not necessary to include every detail in our clinical notes.

If we are using a named orthopedic or neurological test, it is best to both name and describe the test (since some people may know the test by a different name). Also, we should describe the actual results, since not all readers will have the same understanding of what constitutes a “positive” or “negative” result.

X-rays or other images are only helpful if they are clear enough to be easily reproduced and if they are accompanied by a legend. Be sure that any information that might identify a patient is removed before the image is submitted.

At this point, or at the beginning of the next section, we will want to present our working diagnosis or clinical impression of the patient.

It is useful for the reader to know how long the patient was under care and how many times they were treated. Additionally, we should be as specific as possible in describing the treatment that we used. It does not help the reader to simply say that the patient received “chiropractic care.” Exactly what treatment did we use? If we used spinal manipulation, it is best to name the technique, if a common name exists, and also to describe the manipulation. Remember that our case study may be read by people who are not familiar with spinal manipulation, and, even within chiropractic circles, nomenclature for technique is not well standardized.

We may want to include the patient’s own reports of improvement or worsening. However, whenever possible we should try to use a well-validated method of measuring their improvement. For case studies, it may be possible to use data from visual analogue scales (VAS) for pain, or a journal of medication usage.

It is useful to include in this section an indication of how and why treatment finished. Did we decide to terminate care, and if so, why? Did the patient withdraw from care or did we refer them to another practitioner?

• Discussion: In this section we may want to identify any questions that the case raises. It is not our duty to provide a complete physiological explanation for everything that we observed. This is usually impossible. Nor should we feel obligated to list or generate all of the possible hypotheses that might explain the course of the patient’s condition. If there is a well established item of physiology or pathology which illuminates the case, we certainly include it, but remember that we are writing what is primarily a clinical chronicle, not a basic scientific paper. Finally, we summarize the lessons learned from this case.
• Acknowledgments: If someone provided assistance with the preparation of the case study, we thank them briefly. It is neither necessary nor conventional to thank the patient (although we appreciate what they have taught us). It would generally be regarded as excessive and inappropriate to thank others, such as teachers or colleagues who did not directly participate in preparation of the paper.

A popular search engine for English-language references is Medline: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi

• Legends: If we used any tables, figures or photographs, they should be accompanied by a succinct explanation. A good rule for graphs is that they should contain sufficient information to be generally decipherable without reference to a legend.
• Tables, figures and photographs should be included at the end of the manuscript.
• Permissions: If any tables, figures or photographs, or substantial quotations, have been borrowed from other publications, we must include a letter of permission from the publisher. Also, if we use any photographs which might identify a patient, we will need their written permission.

In addition, patient consent to publish the case report is also required.

Running Header:

• Name, academic degrees and affiliation

Name, address and telephone number of corresponding author

Disclaimers

Statement that patient consent was obtained

Sources of financial support, if any

Key words: (limit of five)

Abstract: (maximum of 150 words)

• Case Presentation
• Management and Outcome

Introduction:

Provide a context for the case and describe any similar cases previously reported.

Case Presentation:

• Introductory sentence: e.g. This 25 year old female office worker presented for the treatment of recurrent headaches.
• Describe the essential nature of the complaint, including location, intensity and associated symptoms: e.g. Her headaches are primarily in the suboccipital region, bilaterally but worse on the right. Sometimes there is radiation towards the right temple. She describes the pain as having an intensity of up to 5 out of ten, accompanied by a feeling of tension in the back of the head. When the pain is particularly bad, she feels that her vision is blurred.
• Further development of history including details of time and circumstances of onset, and the evolution of the complaint: e.g. This problem began to develop three years ago when she commenced work as a data entry clerk. Her headaches have increased in frequency in the past year, now occurring three to four days per week.
• Describe relieving and aggravating factors, including responses to other treatment: e.g. The pain seems to be worse towards the end of the work day and is aggravated by stress. Aspirin provides some relieve. She has not sought any other treatment.
• Include other health history, if relevant: e.g. Otherwise the patient reports that she is in good health.
• Include family history, if relevant: e.g. There is no family history of headaches.
• Summarize the results of examination, which might include general observation and postural analysis, orthopedic exam, neurological exam and chiropractic examination (static and motion palpation): e.g. Examination revealed an otherwise fit-looking young woman with slight anterior carriage of the head. Cervical active ranges of motion were full and painless except for some slight restriction of left lateral bending and rotation of the head to the left. These motions were accompanied by discomfort in the right side of the neck. Cervical compression of the neck in the neutral position did not create discomfort. However, compression of the neck in right rotation and extension produced some right suboccipital pain. Cranial nerve examination was normal. Upper limb motor, sensory and reflex functions were normal. With the patient in the supine position, static palpation revealed tender trigger points bilaterally in the cervical musculature and right trapezius. Motion palpation revealed restrictions of right and left rotation in the upper cervical spine, and restriction of left lateral bending in the mid to lower cervical spine. Blood pressure was 110/70. Houle’s test (holding the neck in extension and rotation for 30 seconds) did not produce nystagmus or dizziness. There were no carotid bruits.
• The patient was diagnosed with cervicogenic headache due to chronic postural strain.

Management and Outcome:

• Describe as specifically as possible the treatment provided, including the nature of the treatment, and the frequency and duration of care: e.g. The patient undertook a course of treatment consisting of cervical and upper thoracic spinal manipulation three times per week for two weeks. Manipulation was accompanied by trigger point therapy to the paraspinal muscles and stretching of the upper trapezius. Additionally, advice was provided concerning maintenance of proper posture at work. The patient was also instructed in the use of a cervical pillow.
• If possible, refer to objective measures of the patient’s progress: e.g. The patient maintained a headache diary indicating that she had two headaches during the first week of care, and one headache the following week. Furthermore the intensity of her headaches declined throughout the course of treatment.
• Describe the resolution of care: e.g. Based on the patient’s reported progress during the first two weeks of care, she received an additional two treatments in each of the subsequent two weeks. During the last week of care she experienced no headaches and reported feeling generally more energetic than before commencing care. Following a total of four weeks of care (10 treatments) she was discharged.

Discussion:

Synthesize foregoing sections: e.g. The distinction between migraine and cervicogenic headache is not always clear. However, this case demonstrates several features …

Summarize the case and any lessons learned: e.g. This case demonstrates a classical presentation of cervicogenic headache which resolved quickly with a course of spinal manipulation, supportive soft-tissue therapy and postural advice.

References: (using Vancouver style) e.g.

1 Terret AGJ. Vertebrogenic hearing deficit, the spine and spinal manipulation therapy: a search to validate the DD Palmer/Harvey Lillard experience. Chiropr J Aust 2002; 32:14–26.

Legends: (tables, figures or images are numbered according to the order in which they appear in the text.) e.g.

Figure 1: Intensity of headaches as recorded on a visual analogue scale (vertical axis) versus time (horizontal axis) during the four weeks that the patient was under care. Treatment was given on days 1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 12, 15, 18, 22 and 25. Headache frequency and intensity is seen to fall over time.