"Every great advance in science has issued from a new audacity of imagination." — John Dewey
How many times have you heard, "I didn't know chiropractors treat... ." Fill in the blank: children, ankle sprains, vertigo; the list is too long.
How many times have you attended a seminar and heard an anecdote about children, ankle sprains, vertigo, etc.? Another long list. The only way to begin to overcome this disconnect is to publish. The most direct path to publication for the practicing chiropractor is the case study.
How to Begin
The case study is a story; an in-depth discussion of a particular situation, rather than a sweeping statistical survey. It reflects the way in which doctors in the field practice – one patient at a time. The next time a patient enters your office with a chronic condition you believe can be helped by your treatment, think case study.
There are many steps to submitting a paper for publication. Many of them are familiar.
A case study is written in the framework of a SOAP note, albeit with greater detail. The context is discussed such as other treatment sought by the patient, the nature of their disease/injury, and their response over time.
What Makes a Case Publishable?
A case must have some unique element; for example, an unusual presentation, a diagnostic puzzle, a distinctive observation, a treatment innovation, or an unanticipated outcome.
The story of the case is told factually. It's an honest record of clinical events which chronicles the patient's progress.
You tell the story of the child, ankle injury or vertigo of a single case from the first day to dismissal in your office. Included are imaging, lab results, second opinions, plus the patient's reporting of subjective issues and your objective findings. Remember, the case must be of interest to other professionals.
The Big Picture
There are more than 100,000 doctors of chiropractic worldwide. If each produced one publishable case study during their career, we would begin to hear a different conversation: "Whenever there is a health problem for my child, my ankle, vertigo, or..., I go to see my chiropractor."
A Free CE Video to Help You
Nearly all doctors in active practice will see cases that have some unique quality of interest to the profession. However, many field practitioners are unfamiliar with writing for the journals may hesitate to initiate and complete a manuscript.
Recently, a one-hour video presentation was produced to walk you through the case study process. This continuing-education course is being offered for free; gratis, on-the-house, no cost. The course: "Research: A Provider's Participatory Approach," available at www.easywebce.com or via the QR code.
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