Evidence-appraisal glossary
Case report
A detailed description of a single patient's presentation, treatment, and outcome. It documents one instance rather than measuring an effect across a group.
Also called: clinical case report, single case report.
Case reports are the traditional way to flag something new: a rare disease, an unexpected drug reaction, or an unusual response to treatment worth wider attention. Their strength is detail and speed, not evidence of cause; a single anecdote cannot show how often something happens or that a treatment was responsible. Reports are also selectively published toward the surprising, so they signal possibilities rather than establish them.
This is a plain-language methodology definition for reading research. It is general education, not medical advice.