WMJ Vol 119: Internal Medicine Residents’ Perceptions of Writing and Presenting Case Reports
ABSTRACT
Background: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires all residents participate in scholarly activity during residency. Case reports provide trainees an opportunity to engage in scholarly activities. This study assesses internal medicine residents’ perceived benefits of writing and presenting case reports and barriers to this process.
Methods: A survey was disseminated to internal medicine residents at a tertiary academic center. The survey questionnaire aimed to assess residents’ perceptions about benefits and barriers to writing and presenting case reports. Responses were obtained on a 5-point Likert scale, and the data were analyzed as respective frequencies and percentages.
Results: Forty-three (34%) of the 125 eligible internal medicine residents completed the survey. Fifty-eight percent reported never having presented a case report. Ninety-six percent believed that finding an interesting case was an important factor in facilitating writing a case report, while 81% perceived finding a good mentor as equally important. Perceived barriers to case report writing included lack of training in reviewing scientific literature (59%), lack of adequate time (58%), lack of formal training in identifying and writing case reports (56%), and lack of a mentor (54%).
Conclusions: Our study showed that the majority of residents had not written or presented case reports. While case reports provide a myriad of educational value, various barriers exist that include lack of proper training, adequate time, and a mentor. Our findings suggest that additional institutional resources should be dedicated to designing a curriculum to address these perceived barriers.
Intended Audience
The target audience for this journal-based activity is healthcare providers caring for the people and communities of Wisconsin and beyond.
Learning Objectives
As a result of this journal-based activity, learners will be able to:
- Recognize the benefits of case report writing perceived by internal medicine residents.
- Identify the barriers to case report writing described by internal medicine residents.
- State the importance of faculty mentorship and faculty training in fostering case report writing among residents.
FACULTY DISCLOSURE
It is the policy of the University of Wisconsin–Madison ICEP that the faculty, authors, planners, and other persons who may influence content of this CE activity disclose all relevant financial relationships with commercial interests* in order to allow CE staff to identify and resolve any potential conflicts of interest. Faculty must also disclose any planned discussions of unlabeled/unapproved uses of drugs or devices during the educational activity. For this educational activity all conflicts of interests have been resolved and detailed disclosures are listed below:
Name of Individual | Individual's Role in Activity | Name of Commercial Interest & | Discussion of |
Terese Bailey, BS | Accreditation Specialist | No Relevant Financial Relationships to Disclose | No |
Sanjay Bhandari, MD | Author | No Relevant Financial Relationships to Disclose | No |
Lisa M. Corbett, MD | Reviewer | Kybele, Inc. (Fiduciary Officer) | No |
Rachel Henning, MD | Author | No Relevant Financial Relationships to Disclose | No |
David Dwyer, PhD, RN, NE-BC | Reviewer | University of Wisconsin-Madison (Employment); Eskenazi Health (Spouse/Partner: Employment); Mayo Clinic (Spouse/Partner: Employment); Indiana University (Spouse/Partner: Grant) | No |
Pinky Jha, MD, MPH | Author | No Relevant Financial Relationships to Disclose | No |
Jennifer Obasi, MD | Author | No Relevant Financial Relationships to Disclose | No |
Kurt Pfeifer, MD | Author | No Relevant Financial Relationships to Disclose | No |
Hannah Tumilty, MD | Author | No Relevant Financial Relationships to Disclose | No |
Ann M. Sheehy, MD, MS | Reviewer | No Relevant Financial Relationships to Disclose | No |
Matthew Swedlund, MD | Reviewer | No Relevant Financial Relationships to Disclose | No |
Robert Treat, PhD | Editor | No Relevant Financial Relationships to Disclose | No |
* The ACCME defines a commercial interest as any entity producing, marketing, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients. The ACCME does not consider providers of clinical service directly to patients to be commercial interests.
Accreditation
Accreditation Statement
In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by the University of Wisconsin–Madison ICEP and the Wisconsin Medical Journal. The University of Wisconsin–Madison ICEP is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. |
Credit Designation Statements
American Medical Association (AMA)
The University of Wisconsin–Madison ICEP designates this journal-based CE activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Continuing Education Units
The University of Wisconsin–Madison ICEP, as a member of the University Professional & Continuing Education Association (UPCEA), authorizes this program for 0.1 continuing education units (CEUs) or 1 hour.
Available Credit
- 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
- 1.00 University of Wisconsin–Madison Continuing Education Hours
- 1.00 Approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
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