What is one potential disadvantage of using a case report as evidence?

A case report is often focused on a single patient or a small group of individuals, detailing their clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes. While case reports can provide valuable insights, particularly regarding rare conditions or novel treatments, one significant disadvantage is their limited generalizability. This means that the findings of a case report may not be applicable to a broader population or different contexts due to the unique circumstances surrounding the cases described.

The specificity to a small number of cases restricts conclusions about how widely applicable the results are, making it challenging for practitioners to apply the knowledge gained from a case report to their own patient populations without considering other contributing factors. This limitation contrasts with larger studies, such as randomized controlled trials, which provide findings that are often more generalizable across different populations due to their larger sample sizes and structured methodologies.