Protopapas and Athanasiou Journal of Medical Case Reports 2011, 5:164 http://www.jmedicalcasereports.com/content/5/1/164 Page 3 of 3 (CT) scan slices) are stripped of any identifying informa- tion. The free and open access to JMCR articles renders these precautions even more important, as the general public has access to every picture! Standardization A small, selective study [10] found a lack of standardiza- tion and relevance presented in published radiological images. It is important that the legend of each image be accurate and directly relevant to the MCR. Creativity Media, being a direct non-verbal message per se, should display creativity in our current Information Age. Digital photography is currently accessible to most healthcare organizations around the world, facilitating the capture and transmission (that is, uploading) of visual data. The use of medical photography expertise is a sound invest- ment, yet conventional medical illustrators need to evolve and diversify from sketching to digitized multi- media (that is, platform non-specific and viewable using free or widely available tools [4,11]). The time has come for streaming media to replace traditional forms of media. An example is making whole CT sequences (axial or three-dimensional), as opposed to still, selected slices, available in the MCR [11]. Summary In this era of digitization, case reporting necessitates a shift of gravitas to patient safety, the application of improved multi-media and an overall increase in educa- tional potential. In this brief editorial, we have attempted to guide prospective authors of MCRs in optimizing their creative writing from ethical and practi- cal points of view, especially with regard to patient safety. This guidance is meant to complement JMCR’s general instructions to authors [4]. Author details 128 Old Brompton Road, London, SW7 3SS, UK. 2Division of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, QEQM Wing, St Mary’s Hospital, Praed Street, London, W2 1NY, UK. Authors’ contributions ADP and TA were equal contributors in writing the manuscript. We both read and approved the final manuscript. Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Received: 28 October 2010 Accepted: 27 April 2011 Published: 27 April 2011 References 1. Doherty M: What value case reports? Ann Rheum Dis 1994, 53:1-2. 2. Kidd M, Hubbard C: Introducing Journal of Medical Case Reports. J Med Case Rep 2007, 1:1. 3. Joki T, Vaananen I: [Thalidomide and embryopathies: report of 2 cases] [in Finnish]. Duodecim 1962, 78:822-827. 4. Instructions for JMCR authors. [http://jmedicalcasereports.com/info/ instructions/]. 5. Jenicek M: Clinical Case Reporting in Evidence-Based Medicine. 2 edition. London: Arnold; 2001. 6. Protopapas AD: Anastomotic devices for coronary bypass: lethal complications have been previously reported! Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2004, 25:145. 7. Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience Database (MAUDE). [http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/maude.html]. 8. Guirguis-Blake J, Calonge N, Miller T, Siu A, Teutsch S, Whitlock E: Current processes of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force: refining evidence- based recommendation development. Ann Intern Med 147:117-122. 9. Kidd M, Hrynaszkiewicz I: Journal of Medical Case Reports’ policy on consent for publication. J Med Case Rep 2010, 4:173. 10. Siontis GC, Patsopoulos NA, Vlahos AP, Ioannidis JP: Selection and presentation of imaging figures in the medical literature. PLoS One 2010, 5:e10888. 11. TeraRecon iNtuition 3D Movie. [http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=L_ziz60cffo&feature=player_embedded]. doi:10.1186/1752-1947-5-164 Cite this article as: Protopapas and Athanasiou: Evolving dimensions in medical case reporting. Journal of Medical Case Reports 2011 5:164. Submit your next manuscript to BioMed Central and take full advantage of: • Convenient online submission • Thorough peer review • No space constraints or color ﬁgure charges • Immediate publication on acceptance • Inclusion in PubMed, CAS, Scopus and Google Scholar • Research which is freely available for redistribution Submit your manuscript at www.biomedcentral.com/submit