AJE在之前的文章谈到了病例报告易混淆和误用的术语。本文我们将讨论一些文体和格式上的小改动，这些改动可能有助于提高这些报告的清晰度。
您可以免费AJE关于临床病例报告中的术语和措辞的免费资源。领取方式：扫描下方二维码，添加小助手微信。
He/she： 在病例报告中描述单个患者时，通常在最初介绍患者后写 "he "或 "she"。然而，使用模糊的代词可能会让读者感到困惑，例如以下例子：
- The patient was a 55-year-old female with a history of fainting. The attending physician performed a physical examination and ordered laboratory testing. She had high levels of blood glucose and hypercholesterolemia.
- The patient was a 55-year-old female with a history of fainting. A physical examination and laboratory testing were performed at admission. Blood screening revealed hypercholesterolemia. High levels of blood glucose were also noted. She was admitted to our department for further testing.
在第一个例句中，虽然可以推断 "She "指的是病人而不是医生，但为了清楚起见，还是用 "The patient "比较好。在第二个例句中，对病人的描述与代词 "She "之间相隔数句，可能会让人感到迷惑。同样，" The patient "可能是更好的选择。与撰写基金申请书一样，请记住你的读者（无论是编辑还是科研人员）可能会分心或注意力不集中。因此，尽可能减少含糊不清之处。
Doses/dosages: 剂量和用量可以放在药物名称之前或之后，但无论哪种格式都应保持一致，如 " 100 mg/kg/day ampicillin and 50 mg/kg/day penicillin were studied "或 " ampicillin 100 mg/kg/day and penicillin 50 mg/kg/day were studied "。
Clinical testing: 作者有时会使用破句（sentence fragments）列出临床试验和结果，就像病人病历中的做法一样。不过，叙述形式可能更容易理解，尤其是由不同领域的研究人员阅读时：
- Laboratory testing. Cholesterol levels high, 300 mg/dL. Other tests negative. (不够清晰)
- Laboratory testing was performed. The patient's cholesterol levels were high (300 mg/dL). All other tests yielded negative results. (更清晰)
Levels: 专业编辑通常会在生物医学写作中加入" level"（s）或" concentration"一词，以提高文章的清晰度：
- The patient's hemoglobin was normal. (不太清楚）
- The patient's hemoglobin levels were normal. (更清晰）
在第一个例句中，虽然 "levels "是隐含的，而且措辞也很常见，但该句子表明蛋白质本身是正常的（例如，没有突变），而不是其浓度。因此，在第二个例句中加入 " levels "一词可以提高语句的准确性。
我们希望以上三个编辑技巧对您撰写病例报告有所帮助。如有任何疑问或意见，请发送电子邮件至 AskAnExpert@aje.com。祝您在研究和写作中一切顺利！
