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Use when auditing a case report or case series manuscript against the CARE checklist. Triggers on case reports, rare disease presentations, unusual clinical findings, or single-patient studies.

care-checkhtlin222
72 stars
1.4k downloads
Updated 2/21/2026

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SKILL.md

CARE Compliance Checker

Audit case report manuscripts against the CARE (CAse REport) 13-item checklist.

Workflow

  1. Read the full manuscript
  2. Confirm the manuscript is a case report or small case series
  3. Walk through each item below
  4. For each item, assign: Reported / Partial / Missing / N/A
  5. Quote the relevant manuscript text as evidence
  6. Output a compliance summary + actionable fixes

CARE Checklist (13 Items)

#TopicSectionRequirement
1TitleTitleThe diagnosis or intervention of primary focus followed by the words "case report"
2Key wordsTitle page2-5 key words identifying diagnoses or interventions, including "case report"
3aAbstract — IntroductionAbstractWhat is unique about this case and what does it add to the literature?
3bAbstract — FindingsAbstractPatient's main concerns and important clinical findings
3cAbstract — Diagnoses/InterventionsAbstractMain diagnoses, therapeutic interventions, and outcomes
3dAbstract — ConclusionAbstractMain "take-away" lessons from this case
4IntroductionIntroductionBriefly summarise and cite similar previously published cases; state why this case is unique
5Patient informationCase presentationDe-identified demographics, main concerns/symptoms, medical/family/psychosocial history (diet, lifestyle, genetics when possible), relevant past interventions with outcomes
6Clinical findingsCase presentationRelevant physical examination findings and significant clinical findings
7TimelineCase presentationImportant dates and times as a figure, table, or narrative (historical and current episode)
8aDiagnostic assessment — MethodsCase presentationDiagnostic methods (PE, lab, imaging, questionnaires)
8bDiagnostic assessment — ChallengesCase presentationDiagnostic challenges (financial, language/cultural, etc.)
8cDiagnostic assessment — ReasoningCase presentationDiagnostic reasoning including other diagnoses considered (differential diagnosis)
8dDiagnostic assessment — PrognosisCase presentationPrognostic characteristics (e.g., staging) where applicable
9aTherapeutic intervention — TypesCase presentationTypes of intervention (pharmacologic, surgical, preventive, self-care)
9bTherapeutic intervention — AdministrationCase presentationAdministration details (dosage, strength, duration)
9cTherapeutic intervention — ChangesCase presentationChanges in interventions with rationale
10aFollow-up and outcomes — AssessmentResultsClinician-assessed and patient-assessed outcomes
10bFollow-up and outcomes — TestsResultsImportant follow-up test results (positive or negative)
10cFollow-up and outcomes — AdherenceResultsIntervention adherence and tolerability (how assessed)
10dFollow-up and outcomes — Adverse eventsResultsAdverse and unanticipated events
11aDiscussion — Strengths/limitationsDiscussionStrengths and limitations in the management of this case
11bDiscussion — LiteratureDiscussionRelevant medical literature with references
11cDiscussion — RationaleDiscussionRationale for conclusions (assessment of possible causes)
11dDiscussion — Take-awayDiscussionPrimary "take-away" lessons (without overgeneralizing), in a single paragraph
12Patient perspectiveDiscussionPatient shares their perspective or experience (when possible)
13Informed consentOtherPatient provided informed consent

Common CARE Gaps

Frequently MissingFix
Item 1 ("case report" in title)Append ": a case report" to the title
Item 7 (Timeline)Add a timeline figure or table showing key dates
Item 8c (Differential diagnosis)List diagnoses considered and reasoning for final diagnosis
Item 10d (Adverse events)State adverse events explicitly, even if none occurred
Item 12 (Patient perspective)Add a brief patient quote or note that consent for perspective was not obtained
Item 13 (Informed consent)Add a statement about informed consent for publication

Tips for Case Reports

  • Timeline figure: A visual timeline dramatically improves readability and is specifically requested by CARE
  • "Case report" in title: Reviewers check this first; it's the easiest item to comply with
  • Patient perspective: Even one sentence from the patient adds value; if not possible, explain why
  • Differential diagnosis: Don't just state the final diagnosis; show your reasoning process
  • Avoid overgeneralization: The Discussion should teach lessons from this case without claiming broad applicability

Output Format

CARE Compliance Report
Manuscript: [filename]

Summary: X/13 Reported | Y Partial | Z Missing | W N/A

MISSING ITEMS:
  [Item #] [Topic] — [What's needed]

PARTIAL ITEMS:
  [Item #] [Topic] — [What's present] → [What's missing]

FULLY REPORTED:
  [Item #] [Topic] ✓

Related Skills

  • /manuscript — Overall manuscript writing and anti-pattern scanning

Install

Download ZIP
Requires askill CLI v1.0+▶

AI Quality Score

93/100Analyzed 2/24/2026

High-quality SKILL.md for auditing case report manuscripts against the CARE checklist. Excellent completeness with full 13-item checklist including detailed sub-items (28 total criteria), clear workflow, common gaps with fixes, and well-defined output format. The skill is highly actionable with structured steps and specific requirements for each checklist item. Tags (github-actions, testing) appear mismatched with content. Located in personal dotfiles repo but content is broadly reusable as it references a standard medical publishing checklist."

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Metadata

Licenseunknown
Version-
Updated2/21/2026
Publisherhtlin222

Tags

github-actionstesting