Table 3

Data sources in formal case studies

1. Previous medical records of the patient

2. Pre-treatment questionnaires

3. Written/typed notes of the practitioner *

4. Verbatim transcripts of consultations

5. Audio and video tapes of consultations

6. Generic numeric outcome scores (eg EQ-5D or GHQ)

7. Condition-specific outcome scores (e.g. BDI, IBS-QoL)

8. Physical and laboratory measurements (eg bp and ESR)

9. Journals written by patient through therapeutic process

10. Data from interviews of patient by an independent researcher

11. Testimonies of family members

12. Testimonies of other carers including GP and hospital specialist

13. Details of all concurrent medications

14. Other – eg paintings or poems by patient

15. Notes from "supervision" of homeopathic prescribing

16. Information from the homeopathic literature (eg Materia medica)

* – this is often the only source used in informal case reports

Thompson BMC Medical Research Methodology 2004 4:4   doi:10.1186/1471-2288-4-4