Case reports in clinical medicine: why it matters and how to do it

A medical case report is a form of scholarly writing describing unique clinical vignettes that offer important learning points in patient management and generate hypotheses to spur further research. Despite its long-standing tradition dating back to 400-1600 BC, the case report has fallen out of favour in modern medical journals due to perceived lower status in the evidence hierarchy and concerns of limited citation potential affecting journal impact factors. In this commentary, we argue for the enduring relevance of case reports in contemporary medical practice, specifically in four main areas: (1) serving as catalysts for scientific discovery, (2) contributions to clinical diagnosis/management, (3) educational value in cultivating clinical reasoning skills and (4) accessibility as a scholarly design for junior medical trainees. We then describe practical strategies for medical trainees and practitioners pertaining to case selection, consent-taking processes, co-author inclusion and writing styles to improve the chances of successful case report publication.