NursingCase studyGenetics

DNP 810 Week 2: case report part 1 guide

Part one asks for two things only, and the commonest error is writing the whole case report now — leaving parts two to four with nothing left to say.

Aug 15, 2026

Editorial process

Last reviewed · August 15, 2026

Written by

Aaron Bishop

MA, Education

assignment interpretation and research-methods coaching across disciplines

Reviewed by

Dr. Nathan Cole

PhD, Rhetoric & Composition

Argumentation and thesis development

On this page

Interpret the task
Assignment instructions
Deliverables
Proposed outline
Research plan
Reference shortlist
Final review

Part one is disease and testing, and nothing else yet

Choose the case first and choose it for the whole series, because this is part one of four and the same patient carries through to the end. The brief names Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Huntington's disease, Down syndrome, sickle cell anaemia and BRCA variants as examples, and any of those works because each has a well-described molecular basis, published epidemiology and an established testing pathway — which is exactly what parts one and two need. The constraint that matters is that the case must be real: from your own practice, your experience or your own family. Simulated cases are excluded, and the reason is that this assignment earns practice immersion hours, which cannot be claimed against invented work. The condition also has to sustain three further parts, so check before committing that its inheritance pattern and its treatment options both have enough published detail to write about later.

Then hold the scope. Part one wants the disease described with its prevalence and incidence, and the laboratory testing that is possible. That is all, and resisting the urge to write the inheritance analysis now is what leaves part two something to do. Be precise about the two epidemiological terms, since they are routinely confused: incidence is new cases in a period, prevalence is existing cases at a point, and for a chronic genetic condition they diverge sharply — a condition with low incidence can have substantial prevalence because affected people live for decades. Give the figures with their population and their source. On testing, describe the sequence rather than naming one investigation: what screens, what confirms, what the turnaround is, and what a negative result does and does not exclude. Carrier and prenatal options belong here too where they exist. Say what the turnaround is too, because a family waiting on a result experiences the delay as part of the diagnosis.

Likely learning objectives

Inferred from the brief — check these against your own rubric.

01
Select a genetic condition that can sustain a four-part case report.
02
Distinguish incidence from prevalence and report both correctly.
03
Describe a diagnostic testing pathway rather than a single test.
04
Hold the scope of one part of a staged assignment.

Assignment instructionsQuoted verbatim

Read the full question

Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.

Details: You will be creating a case report in stages over four course topics. Use an example from your own personal practice, experience, or own personal/family; however, simulated cases are not acceptable for practice hours and therefore not acceptable for this assignment. Examples might include a patient with Duchesne’s muscular dystrophy. Huntington’s disease, Down’s syndrome, sickle cell anemia, BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 mutations, or other genetic disorder that you and/or the organization in which you practice may specialize in treating. General Requirements: Use the following information to ensure successful completion of the assignment: This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion. Doctoral learners are required to use APA style for their writing assignments. The APA Style Guide is located in the Student Success Center. This assignment requires that at least two additional scholarly research sources related to this topic, and at least one in-text citation from each source be included. You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center. Include the following: Guidelines and reasons behind the FDA regulations for introducing new pharmaceutical agents (policy). The role that money and grants play in scientific advances; the economics of health care (capitalism). The role and involvement family plays into the health care decision DNP 810 Week 2 Case Report Part 1 . Directions: For this assignment (Part 1 of the Case Report), write a 1,000-1,250 word paper incorporating genetics information learned from assigned readings in Topics 1 and 2. Include the following: Describe the disease, its prevalence, and its incidence. Discuss the laboratory testing that is possible. Portfolio Practice Hours: Practice immersion assignments are based on your current course objectives, and are intended to be application-based learning using your real-world practice setting. These assignments earn practice immersion hours, and are indicated in the assignment by a Portfolio Practice Hours statement which reminds you, the student, to enter in a corresponding case log in Typhon. Actual clock hours are entered, but the average hours associated with each practice immersion assignment is 10. You are required to complete your assignment using real-world application. Real-world application requires the use of evidence-based data, contemporary theories, and concepts presented in the course. The culmination of your assignment must present a viable application in a current practice setting. For more information on parameters for practice immersion hours, please refer to DNP resources in the DC Network. To earn portfolio practice hours, enter the following after the references section of your paper: Practice Hours Completion Statement DNP-810 I, (INSERT NAME), verify that I have completed (NUMBER OF) clock hours in association with the goals and objectives for this assignment. I have also tracked said practice hours in the Typhon Student Tracking System for verification purposes and will be sure that all approvals are in place from my faculty and practice mentor. Case Report: Part 1

Turn the brief into deliverables

01
A real case, not a simulated one.
02
A description of the disease.
03
Prevalence and incidence figures with their populations and sources.
04
The laboratory testing pathway, including what a negative result excludes.
05
The Practice Hours Completion Statement after the references.

Case, disease, epidemiology, then the laboratory

The case

Introduce the real patient or family and the condition involved.

The disease

Describe the condition, its molecular basis and its clinical course.

Prevalence and incidence

Report both figures with their populations and sources.

Laboratory testing

Set out the testing sequence and what each step establishes.

Prevalence and incidence are different numbers

Recommended databases

MedlinePlus Genetics
National Human Genome Research Institute
StatPearls
PubMed Central

Search sequence

1.
Confirm the diagnostic pathway from a clinical source before describing it.
2.
Find prevalence and incidence figures separately, and note their populations.
3.
Check whether carrier or prenatal testing exists for your condition.
4.
Read what Topics 1 and 2 covered, since the paper is meant to incorporate them.

Reference shortlist

These are authoritative starting points, not a ready-made bibliography. A qualified reviewer must confirm that each source fits the assignment and supports the claim beside which it is cited.

Nothing here is cleared for citation until you have read it.

01
Genetic Disorders
National Human Genome Research Institute · 2024
Condition-level descriptions from the national genomics institute, a reliable basis for the disease section.
02
What is genetic testing?: MedlinePlus Genetics
MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine · 2024
What genetic testing establishes, which is what the laboratory section has to be precise about.
03
What are the uses of genetic testing?: MedlinePlus Genetics
MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine · 2024
The distinct purposes of testing — diagnostic, carrier, prenatal — which is the structure of the testing pathway.
04
Chromosome Abnormalities Fact Sheet
National Human Genome Research Institute · 2024
Relevant where the condition is chromosomal, and a model for describing a molecular basis clearly.

Review before submission

Common mistakes

Writing the whole case report in part one.
Using incidence and prevalence interchangeably.
Quoting a figure without saying which population it describes.
Naming one test rather than describing a pathway.
Using a simulated case, which cannot earn practice hours.

Submission checklist

Is the case real and will it sustain three more parts?
Are incidence and prevalence distinguished and sourced?
Does the testing section describe a sequence?
Have you said what a negative result does not exclude?
Is the practice hours statement present?

Use this guide to plan and review your own work. Follow your institution's rules and read our academic-integrity policy.