Case Report

 

Case Reports

The Case Reports section of Colombia Médica is dedicated to publishing exceptional clinical experiences that contribute to medical and scientific knowledge, offering relevant and novel information for clinical practice and health research.

1. Section Objective

To disseminate clinical cases that provide significant evidence on unusual situations, unreported adverse effects, new associations, or findings that contribute to the understanding of diseases, diagnoses, management, or pathogenesis.

2. Publication Criteria

Manuscripts submitted to this section must meet at least one of the following criteria:

  • Unreported or unusual side effects or adverse drug interactions.
  • Atypical or unexpected clinical presentations of a disease.
  • New associations or variations in the pathophysiological mechanisms of a disease.
  • Diagnosis, clinical presentation, or management of new and emerging diseases.
  • Unexpected relationships between diseases, symptoms, or clinical conditions.
  • Unforeseen events occurring during the observation, diagnosis, or treatment of a patient.
  • Findings that provide novel insights into the pathogenesis of a disease or an adverse effect.

Case reports must have clinical relevance and represent a clear contribution to current medical knowledge.

3. Manuscript Requirements

Manuscript Structure:
Authors must follow the structure recommended by the CARE Guidelines (Consensus-based Clinical Case Reporting Guideline). If the report is about an adverse drug effect, you should also use the Guidelines for Submitting Adverse Event Reports for Publication. The manuscript must include:

  • Title: Clear, concise, and specific, reflecting the key finding of the case.
  • Abstract: Structured (Introduction, Case Presentation, Discussion, and Conclusion), with a limit of 250 words.
  • Keywords: 3 to 6 terms based on DeCS or MeSH descriptors.
  • Introduction: Contextualization and relevance of the case.
  • Case Presentation:
    • Relevant clinical data, chronological evolution, results of diagnostic tests, treatment, and outcomes.
    • Ensure patient confidentiality (no identifiable data).
  • Discussion:
    • Comparison of the case with existing literature.
    • Explanation of the importance of the case in clinical or scientific practice.
    • Implications for diagnosis, treatment, or understanding of pathogenesis.
  • Conclusion: Summary of the case’s contributions.
  • References: Maximum of 20, following the Vancouver format.
  • Ethical Declarations: Signed informed consent and a declaration of conflicts of interest.

Length:
Colombia Médica does not impose a word limit; however, articles typically have fewer than 3,000 words, excluding the abstract, references, and figures.

Figures and Tables:
A maximum of 4 figures (images, graphs, or tables) is allowed to illustrate the most relevant findings of the case.

Appendices:
Only if indispensable for understanding the case.

Additional documents:
Authors must attach the following completed documents at the time of manuscript submission:

    1. Copyright Transfer Agreement: Completed and signed by all authors.
    2. Conflict of Interest Declaration: Detailing any financial, professional, or personal relationships that could influence the content of the article.
    3. CRediT Taxonomy Author Contribution Form: Specifying each author's role in the preparation and development of the manuscript (e.g., conceptualization, methodology, writing, data analysis).

Compliance with these requirements is mandatory, and their absence may delay or prevent the manuscript’s review process.

4. Ethical Considerations

  • All case reports must include informed consent from the patient or their legal representative, ensuring confidentiality of the patient’s identity.
  • Manuscripts must comply with international ethical standards for human studies and adhere to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.
  • Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest and funding sources (if applicable).

5. Editorial Process

  • Initial Review: The Editorial Committee evaluates whether the manuscript meets publication criteria and ethical standards.
  • Peer Review: Approved manuscripts are reviewed by clinical experts in the relevant area.
  • Final Decision: The Editorial Committee decides on the acceptance, revision, or rejection of the manuscript.

6. Final Considerations

Case reports published in Colombia Médica are considered valuable contributions to clinical practice and medical literature.
The editor of this section requests the best possible semiological detail in the presentation of cases to guide readers in clinical practice.
Manuscripts that do not provide new information, lack methodological rigor, or fail to meet the specific criteria of the section will be rejected.