Quality Assessment and Comparison of Case Reports in the Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation According to CAse Report (CARE) Guidelines: Focusing on Before and After 2020

CARE 지침에 따른 한방재활의학과학회지의 증례보고에 대한 질 평가 및 변화 비교: 2020년 이전과 이후를 중심으로

Objectives This study evaluated the reporting quality of case reports published in the Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation from January 2020 to December 2024 based on the CAse REport (CARE) guidelines, and compared the results with a previous study. Methods A total of 44 case reports were assessed using a 28-item CARE checklist. Each item was rated as "adequate," "inadequate," or "not reported." Results were compared with those from case reports published between 2016 and 2019. Results The "adequate" reporting rate increased from 52.59% to 61.21%, while "inadequate" and "not reported" rates decreased to 16.50% and 22.38%, respectively. No item had a 0% reporting rate. Item 12 "patient's perspective" showed the largest improvement. However, items such as "treatment adherence and tolerability" and "followup and outcomes" remained poorly reported. A few items, including "title" and "abstract," showed decreased adequacy due to stricter evaluation criteria in this study. Conclusions The overall reporting quality of case reports has improved over the past five years. However, further efforts are needed to enhance reporting on specific items. Continued application of the CARE guidelines and the development of supplementary tools tailored to Korean medicine clinical settings may help improve the quality and transparency of future reports.