This quality-focused blog highlights:
- The Significance of Narrative in ICSR Case Processing
- Practical Tips to Identify and Rectify Errors in ICSR Narratives
Table of Contents
Overview
Narrative writing is a very important and crucial part of ICSR case processing. While it’s true that some may forget to include narratives in ICSR case processing, it’s important to recognize the significance of well-written narratives.
Therefore, let’s focus on strategies for enhancing the quality of narratives and reducing errors in ICSR case processing.
Understanding Narratives in ICSR
In ICSR, narrative writing refers to the process of creating a concise and informative summary of a specific case.
This includes some very important details such as the case number, patient information, medical history, drug administrations, therapy details, diagnosis, event outcomes, laboratory evidences and associated events.
The narrative serves as a story that presents the case in a clear and understandable way, making it easier for healthcare professionals and regulatory authorities to evaluate and understand the case.
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The Significance of Narrative Writing in ICSR Case Processing
- The narrative should serve as a comprehensive, stand-alone “medical story” for revisions about the cases files to understand easily.
- Narratives provide a concise and detailed overview of a specific case, which enables healthcare professionals and regulatory authorities to better understand the case and evaluate its significance.
- Well-written narratives can help to identify potential safety concerns or adverse reactions associated with specific drugs or medical devices. Additionally, narratives can also aid in the detection of previously unknown drug interactions, contraindications, or medication errors.
Overall, narrative writing is a vital component of ICSR case processing as it helps to ensure the safety and efficacy of medical products and ultimately protect the public’s health.

Tips for Improving ICSR Narrative Writing
Here are some tips for writing better ICSR narratives:
- Ensure that all relevant case-related information is included in the narrative.
- Check for and eliminate any unnecessary spaces between words in the narrative.
- Arrange information in chronological order to avoid confusion.
- Use simple language and avoid complexity.
- Write about every detail of the case in past tense.
- Avoid using passive voice, as it can make the narrative difficult to understand.
- Try not to use short forms or abbreviations, except for lab terms and units.
- Include crucial extra record details in the narrative and inform promptly about their availability.
- The case narratives should avoid repetitions or listing information included in structured data elements and which is of limited relevance for the reported suspected adverse reaction (e.g. listing all lab test results).
Conclusion
Narratives play a pivotal role in the entirety of ICSR, encapsulating the essence of a case file in a concise story.
It’s commonly observed that errors occur often in narrative section due to oversight or carelessness.
By adhering to these tips and maintaining vigilance, one can significantly improve narrative quality and consistently achieve favorable outcomes.
The case processor can use predefined templates for writing narratives as per the client requirements.
Our suggestion is to prioritize following the conventions set by the company. If there is anything that goes against those conventions, it’s best to simply ignore it.
Feel free to share your thoughts by commenting below.
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