Handwritten undergraduate case reports

摘要

Background: This article describes a 'back to the future' approach to case 'write-ups', with medicaL students producing handwritten instead of word-processed case reports during their clinical placements. Word-processed reports had been found to have a number of drawbacks, including the inappropriate use of 'cutting and pasting', undue length and lack of focus. Method: We developed a template to be completed by hand, based on the hospital 'clerking-in process', and matched this to a newassessment pro forma. An electronic survey was conducted of both students and assessors after the first year of operation to evaluate impact and utility.