The Use of Causal Language in Case Reports and Case Series Reporting Ischemic Stroke Following Cervical Manual Therapy: A Qualitative Study Protocol
Abstract
Objective This study aims to investigate how authors attribute causality in case reports and case series describing ischaemic stroke following cervical manual therapy. Methods This qualitative, document-based study is nested within a larger epidemiological investigation evaluating the association between cervical manual therapy and ischaemic stroke (PROSPERO ID: CRD42024602659). Eligible case reports and case series will be identified through a systematic review of biomedical databases. A software-assisted qualitative content analysis will be undertaken in MAXQDA, combining deductive coding, guided by counterfactual theory and the concept of hypothesis generation, with inductive coding to capture linguistic patterns. Conclusion This research protocol presents a novel approach to examining how causality is attributed in case reports and case series, addressing the relationship between ischemic stroke following cervical manual therapy for headaches or neck pain. The anticipated findings have implications for improving the clarity and responsibility of scientific communication and informing the interpretive boundaries and appropriate use of descriptive research designs in clinical and policy contexts.
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BibTeX
@article{bakaa2026causal,
title = {{The Use of Causal Language in Case Reports and Case Series Reporting Ischemic Stroke Following Cervical Manual Therapy: A Qualitative Study Protocol}},
author = {N. Bakaa and M. Atkinson-Graham and J. Plener and P. Côté and C. Cancelliere and Louis-Rachid Salmi and J. Hartvigsen and J.D. Cassidy and C. Arienti and M. Campello and S. Hogg-Johnson and F. Johansson and H.M. Shearer and E. Skillgate and J.J. Wong and C.K. Øverås and I. Axén and M.V. Vyas and C.A. Hincapié and S. Mior},
journal = {International Journal of Qualitative Methods},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1177/16094069261462479},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05734016v1},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The Use of Causal Language in Case Reports and Case Series Reporting Ischemic Stroke Following Cervical Manual Therapy: A Qualitative Study Protocol
AU - N. Bakaa
AU - M. Atkinson-Graham
AU - J. Plener
AU - P. Côté
AU - C. Cancelliere
AU - Louis-Rachid Salmi
AU - J. Hartvigsen
AU - J.D. Cassidy
AU - C. Arienti
AU - M. Campello
AU - S. Hogg-Johnson
AU - F. Johansson
AU - H.M. Shearer
AU - E. Skillgate
AU - J.J. Wong
AU - C.K. Øverås
AU - I. Axén
AU - M.V. Vyas
AU - C.A. Hincapié
AU - S. Mior
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/01
JO - International Journal of Qualitative Methods
DO - 10.1177/16094069261462479
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05734016v1
AB - Objective This study aims to investigate how authors attribute causality in case reports and case series describing ischaemic stroke following cervical manual therapy. Methods This qualitative, document-based study is nested within a larger epidemiological investigation evaluating the association between cervical manual therapy and ischaemic stroke (PROSPERO ID: CRD42024602659). Eligible case reports and case series will be identified through a systematic review of biomedical databases. A software-assisted qualitative content analysis will be undertaken in MAXQDA, combining deductive coding, guided by counterfactual theory and the concept of hypothesis generation, with inductive coding to capture linguistic patterns. Conclusion This research protocol presents a novel approach to examining how causality is attributed in case reports and case series, addressing the relationship between ischemic stroke following cervical manual therapy for headaches or neck pain. The anticipated findings have implications for improving the clarity and responsibility of scientific communication and informing the interpretive boundaries and appropriate use of descriptive research designs in clinical and policy contexts.
SN - 1609-4069
ER -