[1] (Cohen, 1)

This journal entry was written by a pharmacist who works for a Jewish hospital and is interested
in case report writing involving the use of medication. According to the article a case report is a
very formal medical text that explains information regarding a specific persons injury or illness
that is uncommon and merits review from other diagnosing medical professionals. The format of
a case report should follow the same five sections: an abstract, introduction with literary review,
a description of the case, a discussion with detailed information that is important to the literary
review, a summary of the entire case and a conclusion. The purpose of writing a case report is to
document new information that is pertinent to the case which corroborates with the authors
thoughts and opinions regarding the importance of the case.
Patient case reports are valuable resources of new and unusual information that may lead to
vital research.
A case report that contains detailed and relevant patient information allows the reader with a
different clinical expertise to uncover idiosyncracies that are not detected or described by the
author and stimulates further inquiry and commentary.

[2] (DeBakey, DeBakey, 64)

The authors of this journal article are both professors of Scientific Communication at Baylor
College of Medicine in Houston, TX. Like Cohen, these professors believe that a case report is
an educational device to describe an unusual clinical syndrome, association, reaction, or
treatment and that it should remain objective and contain only pertinent positive and
negative findings. This article also states that the use of visual aids offers a more concise and
discernable way to provide statistical data. This goes to show that case reports are very well
thought out and researched medical documents that follow a very specific format.

[3] (Bolton, 20-21)

This author talks about how narrative writing in medicine will allow the clinician to reflect on an
interaction or encounter that was meaningful in a patients case. After reading this article I was
drawn to how the author explained that medical writing is no only about the final objective
findings, but more of how those findings came to be. By allowing our values as humans bring
out our thoughts and emotions into a narration describing every detail of our patient we can come
to a diagnosis that may be reflected upon by not only the individuals involved but third party
practitioners as well. Allowing feeling and understanding to influence writing can be very helpful
and offer a better outcome for a patient. However, allowing that provider/patient connection may
ultimately cause undue anxiety for the provider that may or may not be addressed after the
treatment has concluded.
how relating closely to patients enhanced both their clinical practice and their personal
experience of it

Reflective writing harnesses small-group discussion with narrative in order to develop human
understanding, the ability to listen, and practical wisdom from experience.

[4] (Isaacs, 497)

This editorial references a couple of works that try to bring the writer back to the basics of
medical writing. An interesting quote used by the author of the editorial is using the active
tense more often because, although often used interminably in scientific papers, the passive tense
is boring. This is something that is not referenced very often and most medial writers do not
much education on. The difference between active and passive writing styles offers the reader
different views and perspectives of the story. As the quote stated, active voice is less boring but it
can also help the writer to recall exactly what happened after the fact. The author makes the
argument that writers should write as if their work was going to be read aloud which may be hard
to do in a constant passive voice.

[5] (Scott, Lewis, Caldwell, 580)

This is a letter to the editor of the work cited above. This author brings to light that sticking to
more of a template style of writing may not be the worst thing depending on what you are
writing for. Doctors who are writing case studies may be required to write in a specific style
depending on which journal they are trying to appeal to for publication. Sometimes writing is
rejected by academic journals because of disciplinary differences in writing style conventions,
rather than poor content. Physicians can feel frustrated if they need to use a different writing
style, such as an education style for medical education journals.
Moving away from physician writing this article addresses writing in the humanities in general.
writing in education and the humanities involves stylistic writing and can be criticised for
dense and extended prose. It seems that these writing styles can deter those within, as well as
those outside, their disciplines. Knowing and understanding this can be useful to each level of
medicine for the purpose of writing about their interaction with a patient. Sharing your work with
other professionals in your field can also be helpful when completing any medical care report.
Even as a paramedic, I will have my colleagues read my narrative after an intensive call to make
sure it is missing anything and that it is easy to read. We believe successful collaboration
between researchers from different disciplines requires an appreciation of diverse perspectives, a
willingness to collaborate, clear communication and careful negotiation of barriers.

[6] (Pomata)
This doctor has spent most of her career trying to understand and help develop a positive way to
approach the doctor/patient relationship. In her mind medical professionals should work with and
treat their patients as human beings and not just a part of the job. By creating that humanizing
effect medical professionals will be able to successfully document their work in a positive and

productive way for others to understand. People are not made up of numbers. We should use
information to develop statistics based on what we learn from our patients and not group people
into categories of statistical analysis before we even introduce ourselves.

[7] (Pethes, 1)
This author talks about the history of medical writing and how it has never really fit into any
specific genre and most likely never will. Given that medicine is ever changing, medical writing
will follow suit. The author described using genres in medicine as a foundation which is
unstable in itself. This tells us that genres provide general categories for different texts but no
category to which the concept of categorization itself belongs. As medical professionals we
document our experiences and observations with our patients so that we can help formulate a
common theme of information throughout the medical field to assist others in making a
diagnosis. This is described by the author: Medical texts are no mere carrier of knowledge, but
play a constitutive part in the process in which an observation becomes a scientific fact by
following certain argumentative and narrative patterns as well as by generating a scientific
community that shares the same texts through letters, journal articles, and textbooks.
Gianna Pomatas suggestion that we refer to these reports on illnesses and treatments as an
epistemic genre emphasizes the necessity of providing a more precise definition of the
interrelation between textual forms and scientific knowledge.
Like all other sciences that engage empirical methods, medicine is based on certain paper
technologies that range from handwritten notes to elaborated experimental articles. And insofar
as these written reports refer to the chronology of an illness as part of the patients biography,
medical observation is narratively organized
Not all medical writings can be grouped into any specific genre(s). We have to use and
manipulate the genres to produce a medical text that will meet the expectation of the audience.

[8] (Charon)
The author of this book has very similar views and opinions as Pomata and Bolton. The book
talks about every echelon of medicine, even physicians, taking time to review all available
narratives from previous medical professionals and approaching their patient with that
information and an open mind. Doing so will allow the medical professional to create their own
narrative medical text about the experience with facts, numbers and convictions. The book also
poses a potential issue with time. There are so many people that are seeking medical attention
now that every level of care is saturated with patients. This overabundance of people seeking
medical help drastically lowers the time allotted for each interaction which limits the amount of
subjective information obtained and leads to a more objective documentation process.

[9] (Cameron)
This journal article brings back a basic guideline for medical documentation, the SOAP note. The
author is a director of a mental health clinic that has many years of experience with writing in the
medical field. in my experience both as director of a mental health clinic and as one who
audits client records, few counselors are able to write clear or concise clinical case notes, and
most com-plain of feeling frustrated when trying to distinguish what is and is not important
enough to be incorporated in these notes. She states that by using the SOAP note format
clinicians will be able to easily document their treatments and interaction with patients. SOAP
notes are one of the very first things that are taught to an EMT. By using this format medical
professionals will be able to ensure that most of their interactions and all of their treatments will
be documented and in a narrative format that nearly everyone can understand. This should be the
universal writing style for medicine.
[10] (Baruch, 459-469)
I propose that writing stories may produce better doctors. This emergency room physician
breaks the glass of years of objectifying patients before getting their full story. Most people who
have a medical need to go to the emergency room are filled with strong emotions and questions
about their well-being. This doctor is saying that before we can document anything we need to
take a step back and analyze the full story and probe for information that may not translate easily
for the patient. Once we have extrapolated all necessary information from the patient and their
full story, we can then begin to narrate our findings. Dr. Baruch also states that when writing in
medicine, just like in fiction, we may have to begin writing to lead us into why or what we are
writing about. Begin with a focus or subject and write until the idea forms a conclusion.
The field of narrative medicine has long demonstrated the importance of narrative skills for all
health care providers. But approaching medical narratives not as a reader would but as a creative
writer actively involved in their construction incorporates an alternative set of skills and
sensitivities that Ive found indispensable for the narrative challenges I encounter.
[11]

[12] (Department of Biology)

Above all, remember to write with precision, clarity, and economy. This seems to be a theme
among the highest levels of medical professional writing styles. Just like Cohens article, this
article talks about having a very specific format for medical writing at a high level. This article
specifically announces the requirements for journal entry writing. This writing is conducted after
every level of care has been completed to its capacity. After all of the treatments and
documentation have been completed for a specific case, the doctor may feel the need to let
his/her colleagues know their findings through a journal publication.
While this guide (and others like it) is a necessary tool of learning the scientific writing style
and format, it is not sufficient, by itself, to make you an accomplished writer. This type of

medical writing breaks free from the patient/doctor relationship and moves to the doctor/doctor
relationship. Before an entry is made in a peer reviewed journal, the journal must be peer
reviewed. This is when a small group of colleagues in the same field analyze and scrutinizing
your work in an effort to make it better. At this stage of medical writing there is little focus on
relevance and more focus on the 5 Ws: Who, What, Where, When and Why as well as How.
This direct approach to this type of medical writing is very different from most but is a necessity
for future advancement.

[13] Purdue Owl Medical Writing- https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/732/01/

Medical writing is an interdisciplinary field that applies knowledge of both rhetoric and science
to enhance reader understanding of medical phenomena. There are many different audiences in
medical writing, which accompany its wide spectrum of subspecialties. The audience of a
medical journalist, for example, is different from the audience of a grant writer. Nevertheless,
nearly all medical writers share a like-minded value: to articulate medical information to their
readers in the most effective ways possible.

[1] Cohen, Henry. How to write a patient case report. American Journal of Health-System
Pharmacy, October 1, 2006, vol. 63, no. 19, 1888-1892,
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[2] DeBakey, L., DeBakey, S. The case report. I. Guidelines for preparation. National Center
for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, vol. 3, no. 357, pg. 64, 1983,
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6642769. Accessed November 01, 2016.
[3] Bolton, Gillie. The Art of Medicine: Writing values. The Lancet, issue 374.9683, pg. 20-21,
July 4-July 10, 2009, http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.emich.edu/docview/199049338?pqorigsite=summon. Accessed November 02, 2016.
[4] Isaacs, David. Writing Well. Journal of Pediatrics and Child Health, July 2014, Volume
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rst=D&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fwiley.com%3AOnlineLibrary. Accessed November 01, 2016.
[5] Scott, Karen M., Lewis, Melinda J., Caldwell, Patrina HY. Writing well in medicine and
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http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy.emich.edu/doi/10.1111/jpc.13221/full. Accessed
November 01, 2016

[6] Pomata, Gianna. Biography. Johns Hopkins University,

http://krieger.jhu.edu/singleton/faculty-directory/pomata.html. Accessed November 01, 2016.
[7] Pethes, Nicolas. Telling Cases: Writing against Genre in Medicine and Literature. Johns
Hopkins University Press, Volume 32, Number 1, Spring 2014,
http://muse.jhu.edu/article/548072. Accessed November 02, 2016.
[8] Charon, Rita. Narrative Medicine: Honoring the Stories of Illness. New York: Oxford
University Press, 2006 Narrative Medicine: Honoring the Stories of Illness 1st Edition by Rita
Charon.
[9] Cameron, Susan. Learning to Write Case Notes Using the SOAP Format. Journal of
Counseling & Development, vol. 80, summer 2002,
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/j.1556-6678.2002.tb00193.x/epdf. Accessed
November 02,2016.
[10] Baruch, Jay M. Creative Writing as a Medical Instrument. Journal of Medical
Humanities, December 2013, Volume 34, Issue 4, pp 459469,
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10912-013-9243-7. Accessed November 02, 2016.
[11].
[12] Department of Biology, Bates College. Introduction to Journal-Style Scientific Writing.
2002, http://abacus.bates.edu/~ganderso/biology/resources/writing/HTWgeneral.html. Accessed
November 02, 2016.
[13] Ardaugh, Brent. Medical Journalism. The Purdue Owl. Purdue U Writing Lab, May 03,
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[14]
[15]