It is so simple to do, but it is surprising how many people don’t do it.

I am talking here about keeping a log of interesting cases/isolates that you have come across in your day to day practice. 

Such a log is very useful if you want to do a case presentation at a journal club/grand round etc. Then it is simply a matter of looking at it and taking your pick. It is also very useful for teaching trainees.

My log is on a simple excel spreadsheet. I keep it ruthlessly brief, having columns only for date, lab no., patient ID no., and no more than a dozen words describing the case. The rest I can go back and get if necessary from the LIS or electronic clinical records.

It takes me approximately 1 minute to add a new case to the log and I probably add a new case on average every 2-3 weeks. I have been keeping it for a few years now.

My only regret is that it took me so long to get it started…….

Michael