Case Reports From the Board Certification Process of the Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences: Introduction to the Forum

Case reports have contributed to clinical knowledge for millennia.The earliest known clinical case reports were included in Egyptian texts known as the Edwin Smith Papyrus from about 1600 BC (Nissen & Wynn, 2014).Case reports, for most of the history of medicine and clinical practice, have been a primary mode of communication and education between clinicians and clinical scientists.In the 18th century, the most frequently published article type in the Edinburgh Medical Journal was the case report (Nissen & Wynn, 2014).It's not surprising, then, that by about 1775, the structure of published case reports had been conventionalized and included the following sections: general patient information, initial examination or assessment, initial treatment and effects, and subsequent course of the condition.