Presenting a long case

**randdom** · 10-12-2006, 01:22 AM

I have to present my first long case on monday and I am really terrified

I don't have the results of the chest x-ray and I only have some of the blood test results. Is it essential that I report these or is my clerking, list of differntials and management plan more important?

**saqqqq** · 10-12-2006, 01:43 AM

Hi, you will be fine! You will present long cases for the rest of your life, and theyre all the same!

You dont need to have all the blood results, just choose the relevant ones. Again, if the chest x-ray is irrelevant to your case, then its not too important if you dont know what it shows.

The key is to have an interesting case relevant to your audience. (ie consultants dont wanna hear about a routine pneumonia - but medical students in the 3rd year might!)

I wrote an article on how to promote a long case on my own website but that is more for preseting the long case in finals.

http://www.scrubbingup.com/revision/...ry/present.asp

If you have any specific quetions on your case, let me know, ill be happy to help out.

**Will Watson** · 17-12-2006, 05:15 PM

Absolutely - I can't remember the number of times I've been told that the trick is just presenting the stuff that's relevant. Don't just tell them everything, and (without sounding all fluffy) try and make it a bit of a narrative.

**yeliab_cram** · 17-12-2006, 07:02 PM

Originally Posted by saqqqq

The key is to have an interesting case relevant to your audience. (ie consultants dont wanna hear about a routine pneumonia - but medical students in the 3rd year might!)

Unfortunately, it is often the case that you will just have to present what is on the ward at the time to your consultant, and it might well be a rather boring case. It is therefore important to try and keep it as interesting as possible.

Try to be concise, go through the positive fidings and the important negatives (try not to list every symptom the patient doesnt have!) in both the history and examination. If there are xrays etc avaliable its a good idea to look at them, and if relevant you can mention any important findings during your presentation (you may find the consultant gets bored of standing listening to medical students present, so decides to go look at the xray with you and get you to present that as well, so having a look at these things first is always beneficial!!). However it can be distracting if you list every investigation your patient has had (especially if everythign is normal!), so be selective.

I think however, that as Will says, its good to get a bit of a narrative going rather than listing symptoms and lack-thereof. Pluck out and highlight the key points such as abnormalities detected during examination, or in the chest xray, and provide a one sentance summary at the end. Dont get bogged down in telling the consultant every single thing you asked about! keep it relevant and focused, present confidently and you will be absolutely fine. You will be doing this for the rest of your working life, so dont expect it to be perfect the first time, but dont worry, you will be getting plenty of practice!