# Case Presentation Formats

Use this reference to choose the correct format for the user's context.
Read the brief carefully — the format should match the clinical setting.

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## Format 1: SOAP (Default)

Use for: emergency presentations, ward documentation, clinic letters.

**S — Subjective**
Chief complaint, HPI (chronological narrative), past medical history,
medications, allergies, family history, social history.

**O — Objective**
Vital signs (table), physical examination (by system), investigations
(labs table, imaging findings, ECG).

**A — Assessment**
Primary diagnosis with reasoning, differential diagnosis list (3–5 items)
each with one sentence of supporting or excluding evidence, risk score.

**P — Plan**
Management steps organised by problem number. Each problem gets:
investigations ordered, treatments started, consults requested,
monitoring parameters, and disposition.

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## Format 2: Conference / Grand Rounds

Use for: teaching cases, grand rounds, case conferences, interesting
or rare presentations.

Structure:

1. **Opening statement**
   "We present a [age]-year-old [sex] with [chief complaint]."

2. **Clinical summary**
   Condensed narrative HPI, 2–4 sentences.

3. **Key findings**
   Bulleted list of critical exam and investigation abnormalities.

4. **Diagnostic challenge**
   One paragraph explaining what made this case educationally valuable
   (unusual presentation, diagnostic difficulty, rare diagnosis, etc.)

5. **Differential discussion**
   Walk through 3–5 diagnoses in order of likelihood with reasoning.

6. **Final diagnosis**
   State the confirmed diagnosis with supporting evidence.

7. **Management**
   Summary of what was done, in chronological order.

8. **Outcome**
   Patient's course and disposition.

9. **Learning points**
   2–3 bullet points summarising what clinicians should take from this case.

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## Format 3: Brief Ward Rounds

Use for: daily ward rounds, post-call handover, ICU reviews.
This format is short. One screen, fast to read.

Structure:

- **ID line**: [Age][sex] | Day [N] of admission | Admitted for [diagnosis]
- **Overnight/interval events**: Bulleted. New results, procedures, changes.
- **Current vitals**: Trend arrow (↑ ↓ →). Flag abnormals.
- **Active problem list**: Numbered.
- **Plan by problem**: One line per problem.

Do not include full HPI or examination in this format.
The reader knows the patient. They need the delta.

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## Format Selection Guide

| User says | Use format |
|---|---|
| "case presentation", "formal rounds", "clinic" | SOAP |
| "conference", "grand rounds", "teaching case", "interesting case", "rare case" | Conference |
| "daily review", "ward round", "ward rounds", "handover", "ICU", "post-call" | Brief Rounds |
| "discharge summary", "clinic letter" | SOAP (narrative variant) |
| No format specified | SOAP |