Unit 1: Doing a Case Study - Week 1 and 2
How your group will function
You will work in a small group of 4. Data gathering will be shared among the group, with each student researching information to present back to the group for assigned discussions. The group will compose the SOAP note for each case study collaboratively and also provide a narrative description of the process of arriving at the diagnosis. In today's healthcare environment many clinicians have adopted a multidisciplinary approach to caring for patients. Working in a group setting will allow you to gain experiences that will carry into your careers.
What is a Case Study?
A clinical case study is a presentation of information about hypothetical patients. The purpose of a case study is to begin to familiarize students with the actual process of seeing patients and the illnesses they present with. The case studies will be presented to the students as a narrative describing the patient and will include the standard parts of the medical interview; the history of the present illness, review of systems and past medical history. You will also be provided results pertaining to the physical exam including the neurological exam, laboratory tests and imaging studies that you will pick from to determine possible diagnoses.
Here is a nice study guide on taking a medical history that you may find helpful - medinfo.ufl.edu/year1/bcs96/clist/history.html
- Activity 1: In this discussion thread, you will introduce yourselves to the group. Feel free to provide information about your interests in medicine and any previous experiences you may have had with patient care.
- Activity 2: Research articles about how to do a medical interview. In the discussion thread, pick one of the sections of the medical interview to summarize for your group mates. Each student will critique each summary and provide rationales for their critiques. Please cite your references.
- Assignment 1: Work with your group to compose the research you've done on the medical interview into one paper, 100-200 words.
What is a SOAP note and how is it used?
The SOAP note is the standard form that clinicians use to document patient encounters in the medical record or chart. SOAP is an acronym that stands for Subjective, Objective, Assessment and Plan.
- Activity: Each student will research and choose a section of the SOAP note and present a written description in the discussion area. Work as a group to choose who will address each component of the SOAP note. Comment on each thread as to whether the description is complete and the reasons why this information is needed in a medical exam.
- Assignment: Work with your group to compose the research you've done on the SOAP note into one paper, 100-200 words.