Q: Is it possible to make two case reports on the same condition in the same case for the different phase?

Detailed Question -

Is it possible to make two case reports on the same condition in the same case? One is related to the treatment in the acute phase and the other is related to the chronic phase. In the acute phase, treatment was performed in the emergency department. In the chronic phase, other department treated the pathological conditions that occurred after the acute phase.

1 Answer to this question
Answer:

Thank you for your question. We understand that the same patient underwent treatment in different departments for different phases of a disease. However, despite this, the case will very likely be considered a single case. Typically, the entire case history, treatment protocols, and outcomes for a single case are all presented in one case report. Publishing two reports using the same case is strongly discouraged, as it will likely be considered unethical unless the two stories are so widely different that they are equivalent to writing two different case reports. However, for a case report, this is unlikely as all the conditions in the patient are likely to be interlinked. In this case, the conditions and treatments in the acute phase probably influenced the conditions that developed in the chronic phase, and so, these must all be presented together.

Historically, multiple case reports using the same case have led to retraction if detected after publication. Therefore, please carefully evaluate the case and perhaps even consider consulting senior colleagues before deciding to write two separate reports. In case you do decide to write two separate reports, do ensure that the journal editors are aware of the other report that is being simultaneously written on the same case.

Hope this helps. All the best for you study!