Tips for writing a case history

"What just happened?"

This can be a hard question to answer in the wake of a stressful "medical staff office emergency," such as a confrontational surgeon demanding privileges with 48 hours' notice. Recounting these incidents can be almost as stressful. However, writing down what happened and dissecting an incident after the fact, as well as understanding what resources an MSP has and where they are located, can be instrumental in preventing similar situations in the future.

Marna Sorensen, CPMSM, director of medical staff services at Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello, Idaho, has seen some of these incidents during her 20-plus years as an MSP. She's written several of them down as case histories, along with steps the MSP can take and where the appropriate resources can be found to defuse the all-too-familiar scenarios described therein.

Sorensen has the following tips for writing a case history:

• Change names to avoid hard feelings
• Write with a sense of humor to keep readers engaged
• Include the pertinent facts of a case and be as specific as possible
• Provide solutions and answers as well as problems and challenges

From “Generate case histories to prevent future 'medical staff office emergencies,'” Credentialing Resource Center Journal, May 2015.