A problem representation compresses evidence. It does not create evidence. Keep the time course, functional impact and relevant context. Mark what remains unknown.
Build the Summary From Five Fields
| Field | What belongs | What does not |
|---|---|---|
| Context | Relevant role, setting and background | Unrelated biography |
| Time course | Onset, duration and change | Unsupported labels |
| Main concern | Reported symptom or difficulty | An assumed tissue diagnosis |
| Functional effect | Activities the person finds difficult | Predicted limitations |
| Uncertainty | Missing or conflicting information | Invented normal findings |
Problem representation uses selected features and meaningful qualifiers. This framework adapts that educational approach for summary practice. MedEdPORTAL teaching framework.
Keep Three Evidence Buckets
Reported
- Content: Information explicitly supplied by the person
- Language: “Reports,” “describes” or a faithful paraphrase
- Limit: A report does not become an examination finding
Observed
- Content: Findings explicitly supplied in the case
- Language: Name the observation
- Limit: Do not invent measurements
Unknown
- Content: Information the case does not provide
- Language: “Not documented” or “not established”
- Limit: Missing information is not a negative finding
Practise With a Fictional Case
Case label: Educational fiction. Summary practice only.
| Case field | Supplied information |
|---|---|
| Person | A 35-year-old office worker |
| Main concern | Right shoulder discomfort |
| Duration | Four weeks |
| Context | Began during a period of more frequent overhead stock handling |
| Reported pattern | Reaching overhead brings on discomfort |
| Reported easing | Rest reduces the discomfort |
| Functional effect | Placing stock on high shelves feels difficult |
| Change over time | The person reports little overall change |
| Goal | Resume usual stock-handling tasks comfortably |
| Examination | No findings supplied |
| Other history | Not documented in this exercise |
Example Representation
A 35-year-old office worker reports four weeks of right shoulder discomfort. Overhead stock handling provokes it; rest eases it. Symptoms remain broadly unchanged and limit high-shelf tasks. Examination findings and further history are not supplied.