SAAGES
A Guide to Learning Issue Write-ups
(500-750 words, excluding charts, graphs)
- Summarize the patient situation on which your LI will focus in ONE sentence. (e.g., a 28 y.o. male thrown from a motorcycle onto the highway was found by the paramedics to be unresponsive and without motor tone in his lower extremities.) Do not summarize the entire case.
- Ask a specific question related to the situation above. (e.g,.How is muscle tone controlled, and why has our patient lost control?) Be sure you tackle an area that is not too large. You can narrow a topic by focusing on its application to this patient and by focusing on one “category” of question (see below). Identify the category into which your learning issue fits (e.g. 4A).
- Access and appraise 3 to 5 current, authoritative sources using this research guide to identify the best choices for your category of question. Try to include one primary reference even on mechanism questions. You must read more than the abstract of an article to use it as a source.
- Generate an answer to your question by applying what you have read to the patient situation. Do not provide an exhaustive summary on the topic. Be sure to use quotation marks for direct quotes. Think about your colleagues who will read your handout and structure it for readability.
- Extend your answer to include important points from your reading that do not apply to this particular situation but might be important to know. (e.g., factors other than trauma to the spinal cord that can cause a loss of motor tone).
- State and number your Sources in the order in which they are cited in your answer to create a Reference list. Be sure to include year of publication. Only explore resources and databases on this research guide.