CARE Guidelines for Case Reports Explained

CARE (CAse REport) is a consensus-based reporting guideline that sets out the information a case report should contain so that readers can understand, evaluate and learn from it. It was published in 2013 and is endorsed by many journals. Download the official checklist from the CARE website and cite the original paper; this page summarises its topics without reproducing the checklist.

Topics the CARE checklist covers

• Title: the words "case report" and the main focus.
• Keywords.
• Abstract: introduction, case presentation, conclusion.
• Introduction: a brief summary of why the case is unique, with references.
• Patient information: de-identified demographics, main concerns, relevant medical, family and psychosocial history, and prior interventions.
• Clinical findings: important examination findings.
• Timeline: key dates and times.
• Diagnostic assessment: methods, challenges, reasoning, and prognostic characteristics.
• Therapeutic intervention: types, administration, changes and rationale.
• Follow-up and outcomes: clinician- and patient-assessed outcomes; adherence; adverse and unanticipated events.
• Discussion: strengths, limitations, literature and take-away message.
• Patient perspective.
• Informed consent.

How to use it

1. Read the checklist before you start drafting.
2. Draft each section with its items in mind.
3. When finished, tick each item and cite the page number.
4. Submit the checklist if the journal requests it.

Illustrative example

Invented for teaching. A draft lacks a timeline. Using the CARE items, the author adds a table showing day-by-day events, which exposes that two lab tests were done on a different day than originally written, and corrects the text.

Limits

CARE improves completeness; it does not guarantee that the diagnosis is correct or that conclusions are justified.

Common pitfalls

• Treating CARE as a formality.
• Leaving out the patient perspective or consent statement.

Key takeaways

• CARE helps ensure complete, transparent case reports.
• Use the official version and cite it.

This page is general educational information about research methods. It is not medical, legal or regulatory advice; follow your institution's ethics board and your target journal's instructions.