Article

The art and craft of medical writing: Report on JPGM Writecon 2009

Authors:
To read the full-text of this research, you can request a copy directly from the authors.

No full-text available

Request Full-text Paper PDF

To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.

... The English novelist Somerset Maugham once said "We don"t write because we want to; we write because we have to". 2 Among the many duties of medical professionals, the duty to write is a binding one and importantly, includes the duty to publish what has been written. Research on healthcare improvement is incomplete until it has been published. ...
... Not only was there a relaxation of the number of years of experience for academic promotion; but there was a stipulated number of research publications that was made mandatory by the MCI, and that too as the first author in an indexed/national journal. 6 [2] This caused significant displeasure among the teaching faculty, as unfortunately in India, the number of PubMed indexed journals is very few. However, luckily, while reading between the lines, the MCI has not specified the indexing agencies/databases in the minimum requirement for academic promotion of teachers in medical colleges. ...
... Introduction Effective medical writing and success in publishing the results of studies in peer-reviewed journals are two crucial steps in disseminating the findings to international audiences [1,2]. Without publishing the results, the whole process of conception, design, data gathering, analyses, and interpretations of data would be largely wasted. ...
Article
Full-text available
Background The popularity of medical writing workshops highlights the need for a standard measurement tool to assess the impact of such workshops on participants’ confidence in: 1- writing a standard article and 2- using optimal English language. Because such an instrument is not yet available, we undertook this study to devise and evaluate the first measurement tool to assess such confidence. Method We created an item pool of 50 items by searching Medline, Embase, and Clarivate Analytics to find related articles, using our prior experience, and approaching the key informants. We revised and edited the item pool, and redundant ones were excluded. Finally, the 36-item tool comprised two domains. We tested it in a group of workshop applicants for internal consistency and temporal reliability using Cronbach’s α and Pearson correlations and for content and convergent validity using the content validity index and Pearson correlations. Results The participants had a mean age of 40.3 years, a female predominance (74.3%), and a majority of faculty members (51.4%). The internal consistency showed high reliability (> 0.95). Test-retest reliability showed very high correlations (r = 0.93). The CVI for domain 1 was 0.78, for domain 2 was 0.73, and for the entire instrument was 0.75. Conclusion This unique, reliable, and valid measurement tool could accurately measure the level of confidence in writing a standard medical article and in using the appropriate English language for this purpose.
Presentation
Full-text available
BACKGROUND The consensus is that forensic nursing has significant environmental, relational and clinical challenges compared to working in other psychiatric services (Kinghorn 2022). Nurses working in the forensic psychiatry service are named forensic nurses(FN), which is an umbrella term(Kettles and Woods et al 2006). General medical nurses are defined as non-forensic nurses (NFN) (Mason vd.2010). It has been shown that forensic nurses feel isolated, lack support, and are anxious and frustrated when providing patient care during their first year of employment (Kinghorn 2022). This study aimed to examine beliefs and attitudes about psychiatric disorders and patients with those disorders, crime perception, and associated factors in a sample of nurses from Turkey
Article
Full-text available
It is about some recommendation for writing and publishing a scientific research article.
Article
Full-text available
Article
Objectives. —To estimate the rate of full publication of the results of randomized clinical trials initially presented as abstracts at national ophthalmology meetings in 1988 and 1989; and to combine data from this study with data from similar studies to determine the rate at which abstracts are subsequently published in full and the association between selected study characteristics and full publication. Data Sources. —Ophthalmology abstracts were identified by review of 1988 and 1989 meeting abstracts for the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology and the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Similar studies were identified either from reports contained in our files or through a MEDLINE search, which combined the textword "abstract" with "or" statements to the Medical Subject Headings ABSTRACTING & INDEXING, CLINICAL TRIALS, PEER REVIEW, PERIODICALS, MEDICAL SOCIETIES, PUBLISHING, MEDLINE, INFORMATION SERVICES, and REGISTRIES. Study Selection. —Ophthalmolgy abstracts were selected from the meeting proceedings if they reported results from a randomized controlled trial. For the summary study, similar studies were eligible for inclusion if they described followup and subsequent full publication for a cohort of abstracts describing the results of any type of research study. All studies had to have followed up abstracts for at least 24 months to be included. Data Extraction. —Authors of ophthalmology abstracts were contacted by letter to ascertain whether there was subsequent full publication. Other information, including characteristics of the study design possibly related to publication, was taken from the abstract. For the summary study, rates of full publication were taken directly from reported results, as were associations between study factors (ie, "significant' results and sample size) and full publication. Data Synthesis. —Sixty-six percent (61/93) of ophthalmology abstracts were published in full. Combined results from 11 studies showed that 51% (1198/2391) of all abstracts were subsequently published in full. Full publication was weakly associated with "significant" results and sample size above the median. Conclusions. —Approximately one half of all studies initially presented in abstract form are subsequently published as full-length reports. Most are published in full within 2 years of appearance as abstracts. Full publication may be associated with "significant" results and sample size.(JAMA. 1994;272:158-162)
Article
How can residency programs help trainees address conflicting emotions about their professional roles and cultivate a curiosity about their patients' lives beyond their diseases? We drew on the medical humanities to address these challenges by creating an intensive writing workshop for internal medicine residents. To help participants become better physicians by reflecting on their experiences and on what gives meaning to work and life. This paper describes the workshop and how residents were affected by the focus on the craft of writing. A group of 15 residents from 3 training programs affiliated with 1 institution. We engaged the expertise of physician-writer Abraham Verghese in planning and facilitating the 2 and one-half day workshop. Residents' submissions were discussed with a focus on the effectiveness of the writing. We also conducted a focus group with participants to evaluate the workshop. Themes in the writing included dysphoria, impotence of the physician, and the healing power of compassion. Our focus group data suggested that this workshop served as a creative outlet from the rigors of medicine, created a sense of community among participants, enhanced both self-awareness and awareness of their patients' lives, and increased intra-institutional and extra-institutional interest in writing and the residency program. Teaching creative writing to residents in an intensive workshop may deepen interactions with peers and patients, improve writing skills, and increase interest in writing and the residency program.
Article
Medical researchers have an ethical and scientific obligation to publish, but between one third and two thirds of research may remain unpublished. A major reason for nonpublication is lack of time, which may lead researchers to seek medical writing assistance. Guidelines from journal editors and medical writers encourage authors to acknowledge medical writers. We quantified the proportion of articles from international, peer-reviewed, high-ranking journals that reported medical writing assistance.; ;
Article
Research, writing and publication complement teaching/ training and patient care. One of the most important reasons for medical writing stems from the inherent training that enables doctors to better appreciate and evaluate the published work of peers. Doctors-in-training should be encouraged to start research and writing early, with the senior members of the profession acting as role models and providing sufficient support.
Continuous quality improvement and the process of writing for academic publication
  • Neuhauser