Student Case Challenge Learning Through Clinical Care

Student Case Challenge Learning Through Clinical Care

Submissions Accepted February 1 - May 15, 2025

Third- and fourth-year students who are involved in patient care are invited to submit a written patient case study to the American Board of Optometry (ABO). The case study should be based on a clinical case where the student has been involved in the diagnosis and/or management of the patient.

Case Requirements

The case should be a minimum of 1800 words (excluding references), no maximum.
Selection committee will look for cases that:
- provide new information about a treatment modality or management approach OR
- provide a good review of current practice guidelines.
Students may receive guidance from professors and/or OD supervisors. Any person providing guidance should be listed as a contributor.
Use of ChatGPT or similar generative AI tools is prohibited and will result in disqualification.
Written case must be sent electronically in a Word document format.
Submission should be formatted using Microsoft Word 11-point sans serif font (Arial recommended) with standard letter size (8.5 x 11 inches).
Please do not provide documents formatted showing inline text, comments, or margin tracker-changes.
Email submissions should include submitter name, email address, phone number, school, and year in school.
Submissions will be accepted beginning February 1 through May 15, 2025, and should be emailed to awilhelm@abopt.org.

An acknowledgement of receipt will be sent for each case received.

Winning Case Awards

First Place will receive $750 and an opportunity to work with ABO to develop the case into a learning module for ABO Diplomates.

Second Place will receive $500 and an opportunity to work with ABO to develop the case into a learning module for ABO Diplomates.

Creating a Case Study

Note: ABO is using manuscript guidelines developed by the Clinical & Refractive Optometry (CRO) Journal

Abstracts

Case report abstracts should be 250-300 words and provide a short summary that gives an overall idea about the content of the case report. The abstract should structurally include the same sections as the main manuscript in a succinct form, e.g., introduction, case presentation, discussion, and conclusion.

Introduction

This consists of one or two paragraphs to describe the context of the case and summarize the entire article.

Case Presentation

Describe the patient’s complaint and include pertinent case history and examination findings. Where possible, refer to any outcome measures which are used to objectively demonstrate how the patient’s condition evolved through the course of management.

Discussion

Synthesize the previous subsections and explain critical elements of clinical management of the condition (diagnosis and treatment). Finally, briefly describe the lessons to be learned.

Conclusion

One to two paragraphs summarizing the important elements and learning points of the case.

Graphical Elements (i.e., Illustrations, photographs, charts)

Graphical elements (including video and/or animated graphical elements) are encouraged where they enhance understanding of the case study. References to the figures should be clearly marked within the manuscript and the figures clearly labelled with the corresponding figure number. Figures should be embedded in the Word document in the location that is best suited to enhance the case. Embedded graphical elements can be in any acceptable file format compatible with MS Word documents e.g., GIF, JPG, PNG, BMP, and TIF. Minimum 72 dpi is acceptable.

In the case of video content, the initial submission can be made with a link to an externally hosted video services such as YouTube or Vimeo and/or be submitted as an additional file. Videos must be uploaded in MP4, F4V, FLV video format. The recommended bit rate is between 300kb/s and 700kb/s. The maximum file size for a video is 100MB and duration must be greater than 5 seconds.

A caption must be supplied for each graphical element and should not duplicate text material. Graphical elements must be provided without impingement of Intellectual property rights and where licensed or approved for use by a third party appropriately notated. Graphics depicting commercial brands or products are not encouraged.

Protection of Personal Information

The written submission must not contain any personal information that identifies subjects of the case. The author confirms that any information disclosed in the case complies with HIPAA (USA) or the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) (Canada.) Identifiable facial images should not be used.

Tables

Tables should be numbered in Roman numerals and should have a title. All abbreviations used in the table should be explained in a footnote. Tables should be presented in a common style used in journals. No vertical lines or shading should be included. Avoid excessive use of horizontal lines within the table.

Units and Abbreviations

Measurements and laboratory values should be given in the International System of Units (SI). Abbreviations should be spelled out when first used in the text, such as “cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).” Laboratory slang, clinical jargon, and uncommon abbreviations should be avoided.

Drug Names

Refer to drugs, devices, and therapeutic agents by their accepted generic or chemical names where available and do not abbreviate them. If trade names are used in the article, trade names from several companies should be used, not just trade names from a single company. Copyright or trade names of drug where used should be capitalized and placed in parentheses after the name of the drug the first time the drug is mentioned in the text. Proper attribution of copyright ©, trademark ™, registered trademarks ® and service marks SM is the author’s responsibility.

Guide to References

Students should use the AMA (American Medical Association) style for references. Authors can consult the following resource for more information: https://www.amamanualofstyle.com/

Sample Cases

https://www.crojournal.com/uploads/photos/94006-chronic-serous-chorioretinopathy-a-case-study.pdf

https://www.crojournal.com/uploads/photos/38717-cotton-wool-spots-in-a-patient-with-covid-19.pdf

AMERICA BOARD OF OPTOMETRY