David S Riley1, Melissa S Barber2, Gunver S Kienle3, Jeffrey K Aronson4, Tido von Schoen-Angerer5, Peter Tugwell6, Helmut Kiene7, Mark Helfand8, Douglas G Altman9, Harold Sox10, Paul G Werthmann7, David Moher11, Richard A Rison12, Larissa Shamseer11, Christian A Koch13, Gordon H Sun14, Patrick Hanaway15, Nancy L Sudak16, Marietta Kaszkin-Bettag17, James E Carpenter18, Joel J Gagnier19. 1. Integrative Medicine Institute, 2437A NW Overton Street, Portland, OR 97210, USA; Helfgott Research Institute, 2220 SW 1st Ave, Portland, OR 97201, USA. Electronic address: dsriley@care-statement.org. 2. Integrative Medicine Institute, 2437A NW Overton Street, Portland, OR 97210, USA. 3. Senior Research Scientist, University of Freiburg, Fahnenbergplatz, 79085 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany; Senior Research Scientist, Institute for Applied Epistemology and Medical Methodology at the University of Witten-Herdecke, Zechenweg 6, 79111 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. 4. University of Oxford, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK. 5. Department of Pediatrics, Centre médical de La Chapelle, Chemin de Compostelle 7, 1212 Grand-Lancy, Genève, Switzerland; ACIM Institute, Filderklinik, Im Haberschlai 7, 70794 Filderstadt-Bonlanden, Germany. 6. Department of Medicine University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Rd, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1H 8M5. 7. Senior Research Scientist, Institute for Applied Epistemology and Medical Methodology at the University of Witten-Herdecke, Zechenweg 6, 79111 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. 8. Departmenty of Medical Informatics and C linical Epidemiology, 3710 SW US Veterans Hospital Rd, Portland, OR 97239, USA. 9. University of Oxford, Center for Statistics - Botnar Research Centre, Windmill Road, Oxford OX3 7LD, UK. 10. Professor Medicine and of The Dartmouth Institute, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, 31 Faraway Lane, West Lebanon, NH 03784-4401, USA. 11. Senior Scientist, Ottawa Methods Centre, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smythe Road, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1H 8L6. 12. PIH Health Hospital-Whittier, Neurology Consultants Medicine Group, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, 12291 Washington Blvd # 303, Whittier, CA 90606, USA. 13. Professor of Medicine, Director - Endocrinology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 N. State Street, Jacson, MS 39216, USA. 14. Medical Director of Inpatient Services at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, 7601 Imperial Highway, Downey, CA 90242, USA. 15. Cener for Functional Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Mail Code H-18, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA. 16. Essentia Health - Duluth, 420 East First Street, Duluth, MN 55805-1951, USA. 17. Director of Scientific Affairs - PharmaLex, Harrlachweg 6, 68163 Mannheim, Germany. 18. Department Chair, Orthopaedic Surgery, 24 Frank Lloyd Wright Drive, Lobby A, Ann Arbor, MI 48106, USA. 19. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, 24 Frank Lloyd Wright Drive, Lobby A, Ann Arbor, MI 48106, USA; Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Well-written and transparent case reports (1) reveal early signals of potential benefits, harms, and information on the use of resources; (2) provide information for clinical research and clinical practice guidelines, and (3) inform medical education. High-quality case reports are more likely when authors follow reporting guidelines. During 2011-2012, a group of clinicians, researchers, and journal editors developed recommendations for the accurate reporting of information in case reports that resulted in the CARE (CAse REport) Statement and Checklist. They were presented at the 2013 International Congress on Peer Review and Biomedical Publication, have been endorsed by multiple medical journals, and translated into nine languages. OBJECTIVES: This explanation and elaboration document has the objective to increase the use and dissemination of the CARE Checklist in writing and publishing case reports. ARTICLE DESIGN AND SETTING: Each item from the CARE Checklist is explained and accompanied by published examples. The explanations and examples in this document are designed to support the writing of high-quality case reports by authors and their critical appraisal by editors, peer reviewers, and readers. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: This article and the 2013 CARE Statement and Checklist, available from the CARE website [www.care-statement.org] and the EQUATOR Network [www.equator-network.org], are resources for improving the completeness and transparency of case reports.
BACKGROUND: Well-written and transparent case reports (1) reveal early signals of potential benefits, harms, and information on the use of resources; (2) provide information for clinical research and clinical practice guidelines, and (3) inform medical education. High-quality case reports are more likely when authors follow reporting guidelines. During 2011-2012, a group of clinicians, researchers, and journal editors developed recommendations for the accurate reporting of information in case reports that resulted in the CARE (CAse REport) Statement and Checklist. They were presented at the 2013 International Congress on Peer Review and Biomedical Publication, have been endorsed by multiple medical journals, and translated into nine languages. OBJECTIVES: This explanation and elaboration document has the objective to increase the use and dissemination of the CARE Checklist in writing and publishing case reports. ARTICLE DESIGN AND SETTING: Each item from the CARE Checklist is explained and accompanied by published examples. The explanations and examples in this document are designed to support the writing of high-quality case reports by authors and their critical appraisal by editors, peer reviewers, and readers. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: This article and the 2013 CARE Statement and Checklist, available from the CARE website [www.care-statement.org] and the EQUATOR Network [www.equator-network.org], are resources for improving the completeness and transparency of case reports.