Case Study Report: John's Back Pain, NSAIDs, and Elderly Patients

This case study examines John's lower back pain, stemming from metastatic lesions in his thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, leading to constant localized or radicular pain. The analysis explores the pathophysiology of this pain, referencing research on the prevalence of pain in such cases. The study then discusses the use of Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for pain management in older people, highlighting their common usage and effectiveness while also addressing the increased risks of adverse effects, such as gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and cerebrovascular issues, associated with NSAID use in this demographic. The report incorporates research and citations from various sources to support the analysis, providing a comprehensive overview of the case and the relevant medical considerations.

Case study number: Your name:
ID:
Unit name:
Date submitted:
 Overall structure
 Unclear  Vague  Organised  Very well structured
 Demonstrates good theoretical knowledge on the problem presented
 Poor  Fair  Good  Very Good  Excellent
 Contains relevant information showing insight in the problem. The solution offered is
based on theoretical background and scientific analysis.
 Poor  Fair  Good  Very Good  Excellent
 Shows ability to plan and complete all parts of a written report that fit into the
requirements of reporting the case
 Poor  Fair  Good  Very Good  Excellent
 Meets the standards of technical writing:
 Poor  Fair  Good  Very Good  Excellent
 General aspects of the report:
 Poor  Fair  Good  Very Good  Excellent  Too brief overall
 Too hurriedly written  Report not set out in formal order  Poor spelling
 Poor grammar  Difficult to follow arguments: muddled, disorganized
 Personal comments/considerations (compulsory – 250 words):
The student has structured the report accordingly and it is easy to understand what the student
has written. I found that the student used appropriate structure while responding to the case
study. Each answer for the case study was immediately below the discussion question,
making it possible for the reader to understand the topic. Additionally, all questions are
supported with research work from external resources, which are then cited in APA sixth

edition in the in-text citations and the reference page at the end of the paper. This shows that
the student understood the topic and had done thorough research on the topic to support the
questions with evidence.
I am also impressed by the manner the student had approached the questions. Even
though a person who has not read the case may find it difficult to understand what the paper is
discussing due to lack of introduction to the answers, the student has made sure that the answers
are brief and to the topic for people that have already gone through the case study. This saves
time and helps the person that has read the case study to find answers to the assigned questions.
The spacing of the work where each question is assigned a distinct paragraph also makes it easy
for the reader to read it at a glance without necessarily having to struggle finding relevant
answers to the two questions. Furthermore, the introduction to the answers in each section links
the answers to the case study, hence it is easy for the reader to understand what the student is
writing about.
In spite of the above positive comments about the student’s task, I think that there are also
some limitations in the work. One of the limitations is in the use of APA citations where the
student has used “&” in the citation of Richini, Caraceca…. in the second answer. The
ampersand sign should be used only when the names of authors are in parenthesis. When the
student has written “according to Richini…,” he should use “and” before putting the last
name of the author. When going through the references, I found that some references were
more than 20 years old. The student should try to research and find relevant references that
are at least five years and above (from 2014…). This is due to the fact that there could be
improvements and the student has to stay updated.