Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24758689›Full record

ArticleBMC research notes2014

The clinical case report: a review of its merits and limitations.

Trygve Nissen, Rolf Wynn

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC research notes, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 248 papers, 34 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
248citing papers in PubMed, 34 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

248 citing papers in PubMed, 34 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Adverse events following cervical spine self-manipulation: A systematic review.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation · 2026
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  3. Systematic Review of Case Reports and Case Series Published Between 2015 and 2025 on the Use of Biomaterials for Closure of Oroantral Fistula.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2026
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  10. The Efficacy of Surgical Techniques for the Management of Confirmed Vertical Root Fractures: A Systematic Review.Australian endodontic journal : the journal of the Australian Society of Endodontology Inc · 2025
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  14. Laryngeal features in Lipoid proteinosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2024
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188 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Trygve Nissen
Rolf WynnDepartment of Clinical Medicine, University of Tromsø, N-9038 Tromsø, Norway. rolf.wynn@gmail.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe clinical case report has a long-standing tradition in the medical literature. While its scientific significance has become smaller as more advanced research methods have gained ground, case reports are still presented in many medical journals. Some scholars point to its limited value for medical progress, while others assert that the genre is undervalued. We aimed to present the various points of view regarding the merits and limitations of the case report genre. We searched Google Scholar, PubMed and select textbooks on epidemiology and medical research for articles and book-chapters discussing the merits and limitations of clinical case reports and case series.

resultsThe major merits of case reporting were these: Detecting novelties, generating hypotheses, pharmacovigilance, high applicability when other research designs are not possible to carry out, allowing emphasis on the narrative aspect (in-depth understanding), and educational value. The major limitations were: Lack of ability to generalize, no possibility to establish cause-effect relationship, danger of over-interpretation, publication bias, retrospective design, and distraction of reader when focusing on the unusual.

conclusionsDespite having lost its central role in medical literature in the 20th century, the genre still appears popular. It is a valuable part of the various research methods, especially since it complements other approaches. Furthermore, it also contributes in areas of medicine that are not specifically research-related, e.g. as an educational tool. Revision of the case report genre has been attempted in order to integrate the biomedical model with the narrative approach, but without significant success. The future prospects of the case report could possibly be in new applications of the genre, i.e. exclusive case report databases available online, and open access for clinicians and researchers.

Indexed as

Biomedical ResearchHumansPeriodicals as TopicResearch Design

Identifiers

PMID24758689
PMCPMC4001358

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.