Tag Archives: #MedicalWriting

Publication Extenders: Our Offerings

Medical Writing

In the fast-evolving landscape of academic and medical publishing, journals and publication houses strive to stay relevant by providing comprehensive content and ensuring its timely dissemination. Leveraging publication extenders—a value-added service designed to expand the lifecycle and impact of published content—has become an innovative way to achieve these goals. This blog explores how publication extenders work, their benefits, and how a collaborative approach can elevate your journal’s reach and influence.

  1. What Are Publication Extenders?

Publication extenders, also referred to as publication enhancers, are innovative strategies that go beyond traditional publishing to maximize the reach and impact of research. By offering supplementary formats such as plain language summaries, infographics, video abstracts, and social media content, journals can connect with broader audiences. These are not only academic and clinical communities but also policymakers, patients, and the public. Publication extenders transform dense academic research into accessible, engaging, and widely shareable formats, ensuring greater visibility and impact.

  1. Challenges of Traditional Publishing

While peer-reviewed journals, conferences, and books have long been the pillars of research communication, traditional publishing faces several limitations:

  • Limited audience reach: Traditional formats cater primarily to specialized academic or clinical readers, leaving non-expert audiences underserved.
  • Technical language: The complexity of scientific jargon can alienate policymakers, patients, and other stakeholders who may benefit from the research findings.
  • Access barriers: Subscription-based models restrict access to critical research, limiting the audience and reducing the overall impact of the published work.
  • Reduced engagement: Conventional articles often lack the visual and interactive elements preferred by modern readers, which can hinder engagement and dissemination.
  1. Innovative Strategies for Journals with Publication Extenders

Integrating publication extenders allows journals to address traditional publishing challenges and significantly enhance the reach and influence of their content. Here are some effective strategies tailored to journals’ needs:

  • Plain language summaries: Simplified summaries that make scientific content accessible to non-specialists, fostering broader engagement.
  • Infographics: Visual representations of data that create a reader-friendly experience, making complex findings easier to understand and share.
  • Slide decks: Visually appealing, curated highlights that support authors and speakers in presenting research at conferences and other forums.
  • Video abstracts: Short, dynamic videos distilling the study’s objectives, methods, and conclusions to create engaging content for digital platforms.
  • Blog summaries: Concise, reader-friendly blogs that promote key insights and drive online traffic to the original article, reaching a wider audience.
  • Interactive PDFs or e-learning modules: Provides enhanced reading experiences with clickable elements, supplementary data, and interactive features.
  • Social media posts: Optimized content for platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram, boosting visibility through targeted outreach.
  1. Why Publication Extenders Matter for Journals

In today’s dynamic publishing landscape, publication extenders have become essential tools, transforming how research is communicated and consumed. Here’s how they play a pivotal role:

  • Bridging the accessibility gap: Extenders such as plain language summaries and infographics simplify complex findings, making research accessible to non-experts, including policymakers, patients, and the public.
  • Amplifying engagement and reach: Formats such as video abstracts, blog summaries, and social media posts cater to digital audiences, extending research visibility across platforms and ensuring it reaches wider, more diverse audiences.
  • Increasing citation and impact: Promoting research in multiple formats and on varied platforms enhances discoverability, driving citations and attention from both academic and non-academic stakeholders.
  • Supporting author collaboration: Publication extenders provide authors with additional tools to disseminate their work, enhancing contributor satisfaction and fostering long-term relationships.
  • Adapting to evolving reader preferences: Visual and interactive formats, such as slide decks and e-learning modules, cater to readers’ modern consumption habits, ensuring research is engaging and user-friendly.
  • Building a competitive advantage: In a competitive publishing environment, journals that offer publication extenders differentiate themselves, attracting both authors and readers by demonstrating innovation and commitment to accessibility.

  1. How Collaboration Benefits Journals and Publication Houses

Collaboration with publication extender experts provides significant advantages for journals, enabling them to:

  • Access specialized resources: Leverage a dedicated team with expertise in crafting high-quality supplementary materials.
  • Optimize costs: Utilize affordable services that add value without burdening operational budgets.
  • Enhance reputation: Position the journal as forward-thinking and innovative, and committed to making research accessible and impactful.
  • Expand the journal’s network: Strengthen relationships with authors, readers, and stakeholders by offering comprehensive solutions that meet their needs.
  1. A Collaborative Vision

The vision for publication extenders is not just about enhancing individual articles—it is about redefining the role of journals as facilitators of knowledge dissemination. By embracing these tools, journals can transform how research is shared, making it accessible to a global audience while fostering deeper engagement. In doing so, they ensure their relevance in a publishing ecosystem that is increasingly focused on inclusivity and innovation. 

  1. Conclusion

The future of publishing lies in bridging the gap between research and its audience by making content accessible, engaging, and impactful. Publication extenders empower journals to expand their reach, amplify engagement, and ensure that vital research resonates with diverse audiences. By adopting these innovative tools, journals can enhance their reputation as forward-thinking knowledge providers and drive meaningful changes in the publishing landscape.

With expertise in crafting customized publication extenders, ranging from plain language summaries and infographics to video abstracts and social media content, Turacoz offers comprehensive solutions to elevate your journal’s content strategy. Interested in maximizing the impact and reach of your publications?  Contact us at [email protected]  or visit www.turacoz.com  to collaborate and take your publications to the next level.

Turning Research Data into Publishable Manuscripts

Medical Writing, ,

Scientific advancement in academia depends greatly on research, but its true value lies in publishing and sharing findings with the broader scientific community. Transforming raw data into a refined, publishable manuscript can be challenging and requires significant focus and effort. This blog provides a comprehensive roadmap to assist researchers in effectively transforming their research findings into manuscripts ready for publication.

Recognizing the Significance of Your Data

Before beginning the writing process, researchers should reflect on their findings and consider the following questions:

  •  What novel insights does the study provide? This helps identify the critical findings that distinguish the research from the existing literature.
  • How does it advance the research area? This question highlights how the study’s findings contribute to advancing current practices, knowledge, and understanding in the respective field.
  • How does it address existing knowledge gaps? This helps determine to what extent the study addresses previously unresolved questions in the research area.

Knowing the answers to these questions helps organize the manuscript efficiently, highlight its significance, and ensure its relevance to the field.

Read More: AI-Driven Insights: Discovering New Research Opportunities in Medical Science

Selecting a Journal and Target Audience

Choosing the right journal and determining the target audience are crucial steps in manuscript preparation. The journal selection can impact the manuscript’s focus, length, and style. Key factors to consider when selecting a journal include:

  • Impact Factor: Journals with higher impact factors often have more stringent submission requirements.
  • Journal Scope: The research should align with the journal’s focus. For example, choosing a specialized journal for research in a particular therapeutic area.

Understanding a journal’s guidelines can reduce the likelihood of rejection and save time during the submission process.

Addressing Ethical Considerations

It is critical to follow ethical standards when writing an acceptable manuscript. This involves getting the required approvals to conduct the study, securing informed consent from participants, and ensuring data privacy requirements are upheld.

Common Challenges in Manuscript Preparation

Recognizing potential challenges can significantly improve the manuscript preparation process. Some common challenges include:

  • Time Constraints: Balancing ongoing research with personal commitments can limit the time for manuscript writing.
  • Data Organization: Presenting complex data effectively requires careful organization and a strategic approach.
  • Statistical Analysis: Conducting and presenting statistical analyses accurately can be difficult, especially for those without a strong statistical background.
  • Formatting Requirements: Different journals have specific formatting and submission guidelines that can be tricky to navigate.
  • Peer Review Process: The peer review process can feel daunting, as constructive feedback often necessitates significant revisions.
  • Writing Skills: Difficulty in clearly conveying ideas can affect the overall quality of the manuscript.
  • Ethical Considerations: Ensuring compliance with ethical standards, including proper citation practices, is crucial but challenging.
  • Collaboration: Coordinating with co-authors and aligning different writing styles can make it difficult to create a cohesive manuscript.

Identifying these challenges early can help researchers streamline the manuscript preparation process and improve their chances of successful publication.

Organizing the Data

Effective organization of the raw research data is a critical aspect of manuscript preparation. Careful organization of the data before starting the writing ensures clarity and coherence. This can be achieved by:

  • Analyzing findings and identifying key points.
  • Grouping similar findings with a clear rationale.
  • Creating a logical flow to present the data.
  • Using visual aids to enhance clarity.
  • Avoiding overloading the manuscript with unnecessary visuals.

Crafting a Compelling Title and Abstract

The title and abstract are critical elements that are often the first things noticed by potential readers and journal editors. A clear, concise title, combined with a well-crafted abstract, can significantly influence the readability and appeal of the full paper. The abstract should:

  • Clearly define the research problem.
  • Briefly describe the methods and key findings.
  • Highlight the significance of the work.

Structuring the Manuscript

Most scientific manuscripts follow the Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD) format. This structure ensures logical organization and makes the paper easy for readers to follow.

  • Introduction: Provides context by summarizing the research background, stating the research question, and outlining the study objectives.
  • Methods: Details the study design, including experimental procedures and statistical analyses, ensuring transparency.
  • Results: Presents the findings in an organized manner, supported by visuals.
  • Discussion: Interprets the findings, compares them with existing research, and discusses limitations and future directions.

Writing Clearly and Precisely

Clear writing is essential for effective research communication. This involves:

  • Avoiding jargon and unnecessary abbreviations.
  • Being concise and eliminating redundancy.
  • Using active voice to enhance readability.

For those who find this challenging, seeking feedback from colleagues or considering professional editing can be beneficial.

Citing Appropriately

Accurate referencing adds credibility to the work. This can be accomplished by:

  • Using current and relevant references.
  • Following the specific citation style required by the target journal.
  • Focusing on key studies directly related to the research, while avoiding over-citation.

Revising and Editing

It is beneficial to revise the draft once it has been completed. Involving colleagues in this process can provide valuable insights and perspectives. This process ensures:

  • Refining the clarity and coherence of the manuscript.
  • Eliminating unnecessary details or redundancies.
  • Double-checking data and citations for accuracy.

Submitting and Navigating the Review Process

After submission, preparing for the peer review process is essential. Reviewers will assess the strengths and weaknesses of the paper and provide feedback. Answering the feedback involves the following:

  • Responding clearly to each point raised in the requested revisions.
  • Resubmitting the manuscript with all corrections and justifications.

Rejection is a normal part of the academic publication process. Learning from feedback can improve the manuscript for future submissions.

Final Thoughts

Turning research data into a publishable manuscript requires time, effort, and patience. Using appropriate and methodical approaches can make the process more manageable. It is important to remember that every step, from selecting the right journal to refining the writing, helps researchers make valuable contributions to their field.

Want to Simplify Your Publication Process?

Despite the challenges of transforming raw research into a well-structured manuscript, the entire journey — from data analysis to manuscript submission — can be streamlined. Partnering with Turacoz ensures a professional, efficient, and successful publication process. Our experience and expertise in scientific publications can significantly ease the workload and elevate the impact of research. Whether you need assistance with writing, editing, submission, or promotion, the Turacoz team offers tailored solutions to meet your needs. Please contact us at [email protected] to elevate your publication experience.

Medical Copy Editing: The Unsung Hero of High-Quality Scientific Writing

Medical Writing,

In scientific research, precision and clarity are essential for ensuring that valuable findings are accurately communicated to the global scientific community. As researchers delve into complex topics, from medicine to engineering, the role of copy editing becomes critical. While the process of writing a research paper or medical document is intellectually demanding, ensuring that the content is clear, error-free, and accessible often requires an external review. This is where medical copy editing comes into play, improving the quality, readability, and reliability of research outputs.

What is Medical Copy Editing?

Medical copy editing involves reviewing and refining the text of medical or scientific documents to enhance readability, consistency, and accuracy. This process addresses grammar, syntax, punctuation, and style inconsistencies while ensuring that the scientific content remains precise. More than just correcting language errors, medical copy editors ensure that the message is conveyed, free from ambiguity, and in line with the standards required by journals, regulatory bodies, or academic institutions.

Medical copy editing is distinct from developmental editing, which deals with structural issues like content organization. Instead, it focuses on the finer details, ensuring that every word serves a purpose and that the entire document adheres to a consistent style.

Enhancing Clarity and Precision

One of the most significant contributions of medical copy editing is improving clarity. Researchers often use complex language, which can hinder the understanding of key findings. Even within the scientific community, clarity is paramount to ensure research is not misinterpreted or ignored.

A skilled medical copy editor refines technical jargon, ensuring it is understandable to both experts and those new to the field. In doing so, they help avoid potential misinterpretations that can arise from ambiguous phrasing. The copy editor’s objective is to ensure that each sentence communicates the intended meaning without unnecessary complexity or redundancy.

For instance, if a study’s results are described vaguely or using convoluted language, readers might struggle to understand the significance of the findings, while researchers may find it difficult to reproduce the results. By rewording these sentences, a copy editor helps ensure the research is accessible and easy to comprehend, even for non-experts in the field. As research impacts policy decisions, patient care, and future studies, ensuring its clarity is a crucial task for a copy editor.

Consistency in Terminology and Formatting

Medical writing often contains technical terms, specific abbreviations, and references to clinical data. Inconsistent use of terms can lead to confusion, and in the medical context, any confusion can have serious implications. Medical copy editors play a vital role in maintaining consistency throughout the document. Whether it’s ensuring that abbreviations are used correctly and consistently or checking that terminology aligns with current industry standards, the editor’s role ensures the document is coherent.

Furthermore, medical copy editors are responsible for ensuring formatting consistency. Adhering to a journal’s submission guidelines or an organization’s style manual is critical for acceptance and publication. Copy editors meticulously check that headings, subheadings, tables, figures, and citations are uniformly formatted and in line with the required style.

Ensuring Adherence to Style Guides

Different fields of research, journals, and regulatory agencies have specific style and formatting requirements. For example, the American Medical Association (AMA) Manual of Style is a widely used guide in medical writing. It provides guidelines for writing, grammar, punctuation, and citation formats, among other things.

Medical copy editors ensure that manuscripts adhere to these guidelines. Citations are formatted correctly, the text follows the prescribed writing conventions, and figures or tables comply with the required formats. Adhering to these rules increases the chances of acceptance for publication and ensures that the document meets the highest professional standards.

Improving the Flow and Readability of the Document

The arrangement of content is critical to the success of a research paper. Research papers that are difficult to follow, with disjointed sections or unclear transitions, can frustrate readers and obscure the study’s key points. A medical copy editor facilitates coherent section transitions and logical idea progression.

For example, when moving from the introduction to the methods or results section, a copy editor might suggest restructuring sentences or paragraphs to improve readability. By ensuring that each section connects logically, the editor helps the reader stay engaged with the content and reduces the risk of misinterpretation.

Additionally, copy editors prioritize the manuscript’s logical coherence. To facilitate comprehension, the background, methods, results, and conclusions must be systematically arranged. Occasionally, they may recommend to restructure sections for enhanced logical flow.

Addressing Ethical Concerns

Medical copy editors are also responsible for ensuring that ethical standards are upheld in research writing. They verify that references are properly cited, helping to prevent plagiarism, whether intentional or accidental. In the era of open science and data sharing, ensuring proper attribution is vital.

Moreover, editors review whether patient consent, animal research guidelines, and conflict of interest disclosures are properly addressed in the document. Ethical lapses in research publications can damage reputations and compromise the integrity of the research. Therefore, a copy editor plays a crucial role in maintaining ethical rigor in medical manuscripts.

Accuracy and Fact-Checking

While the primary responsibility for accuracy lies with the authors, medical copy editors also perform fact-checking tasks. They check for inconsistencies in data reporting, review statistical values, and verify that claims are supported by appropriate evidence. This ensures that the research stands up to scrutiny from peer reviewers and readers alike.

Read More: Medical Copy Editing: A Step-by-Step Guide to Edit Your Document

Moreover, medical copy editors review references to ensure relevant, and correctly cited. Accurate references lend credibility to the research, and failing to properly attribute prior work can lead to accusations of plagiarism.

The Role of Technology in Copy Editing

Technological advancements have introduced new tools for copy editing, such as automated grammar checkers and reference management systems. While these tools are valuable for speeding up the editing process, they are not infallible. Medical copy editors use these tools carefully to ensure that the manuscript is polished to a high standard.

For instance, while a grammar checker can catch basic errors, it cannot replace the critical thinking required to ensure a manuscript is logically sound and free from ambiguities. An experienced medical copy editor goes beyond mere error correction, considering the broader context of the manuscript and ensuring that the content aligns with the research’s goals.

Conclusion

Medical copy editing is an indispensable part of the research publication process. It ensures that research papers are clear, consistent, accurate, and ethically sound. By refining the language, improving the flow of ideas, and ensuring adherence to style guides, medical copy editors enhance the overall quality of scientific writing.

At Turacoz, we specialize in Medical Copy Editing to ensure research manuscripts, clinical documents, and medical reports meet the highest standards of clarity and accuracy. Our expert editors enhance readability, correct errors, and ensure compliance with style and ethical guidelines. By refining scientific content, we help researchers present their findings effectively, increasing the chances of successful publication. We believe quality research deserves precise communication, and our editing services are tailored to achieve that.

The Role of Academic Societies in Journal Publishing

Medical Writing, ,

Academic societies have long been integral to the advancement of research, education, and professional development in various fields. In the journal publishing, their influence is particularly notable. These organizations are often at the forefront of disseminating new scientific discoveries, setting rigorous standards for academic integrity, and fostering the growth of researchers through peer-reviewed publications. For medical writers, understanding the contributions of academic societies to journal publishing is essential, as it informs their work and ensures that the content they produce aligns with their highest academic and ethical standards.

  1. Setting and Maintaining Publishing Standards

One of the primary contributions of academic societies to journal publishing is their role in setting and maintaining high standards of scientific and academic content. These standards ensure that the research published in their journals is credible, rigorous, and adheres to the ethical guidelines.

  • Peer Review Process

The peer review process is a key mechanism by which academic societies maintain their publishing standards. Most academic journals, especially those affiliated with societies, require manuscripts to undergo rigorous peer review before publication. This process involved expert reviewers who evaluated the quality, originality, and validity of the research. By providing an independent assessment, peer review helps maintain the integrity of published research and prevents the dissemination of flawed or misleading findings.

For medical writers, the peer review process is both a guide and safeguard. When preparing manuscripts, regulatory documents, or clinical trial summaries, medical writers must ensure that their content meets the criteria set by the reviewers. This implies paying close attention to data accuracy, clarity of communication, and adherence to ethical standards.

  • Ethical Guidelines and Reporting Standards

Academic societies are instrumental in developing ethical guidelines and reporting standards for research publications. These include principles such as transparency in data reporting, disclosure of conflicts of interest, and adherence to ethical guidelines in human and animal research. For example, organizations like the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) have established widely accepted standards for manuscript preparation and publication ethics.

Medical writers working in the field of journal publishing must be familiar with these guidelines to ensure that their work complies with the industry norms. By adhering to the standards set by academic societies, medical writers contribute to the credibility and ethical standing of their research.

  1. Supporting Researchers: Providing a Platform for Scientific Dialogue

Another critical role that academic societies play in journal publishing is to provide a platform for researchers to share their findings, exchange ideas, and collaborate with their peers. By publishing journals, academic societies facilitate the dissemination of knowledge, ensuring that discoveries are accessible to the scientific community.

  • Encouraging Collaboration and Networking

Many academic societies organize conferences, workshops, and symposiums in addition to publishing journals. These events serve as valuable networking opportunities for researchers, where they can discuss their work with other professionals, receive feedback, and collaborate. For early career researchers, academic societies offer mentorship and support, helping them navigate the often-complex publishing process in high-impact journals.

Medical writers, particularly those involved in preparing research for publication, benefit from  resources and networking opportunities provided by academic societies. Attending society-sponsored events or engaging with the latest journal articles allows medical writers to stay updated on emerging research trends, new methodologies, and shifts in the regulatory field.

  • Advancing Careers Through Recognition

Academic societies often have awards or recognition programs that honor outstanding research contributions. This recognition not only advances the careers of researchers, but also brings attention to important scientific discoveries. Many societies also offer travel grants, fellowships, and scholarships, to further support researchers in their professional development.

Medical writers, who often collaborate with researchers in preparing manuscripts and grant proposals, can help their clients or employers navigate these opportunities for recognition. By aligning their work with the high standards and expectations of academic societies, medical writers play a role in helping researchers advance their careers and secure the recognition of their contributions.

  1. Ensuring Accessibility and Credibility in Scientific Publishing

In recent years, the open-access movement has gained significant momentum, with the aim of making research freely available to a wider audience. Academic societies have been key players in this movement, with many offerings open-access options for their journals or participating in initiatives like Plan S, which promotes the unrestricted availability of scientific publications. By supporting open access, academic societies can help bridge the gap between researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and the public.

Read More: The Evolution of Academic Publishing: From Print to Digital

  • Enhancing Accessibility Through Open Access

The open-access model offers unique opportunities and challenges for medical writers. On one hand, open-access publications allow medical writers to access a wealth of research data and articles without barriers to paywalls. This is particularly useful when preparing literature reviews or drafting content that requires a comprehensive understanding of current research. However, open-access journals often require authors or their institutions to cover publication costs, which can be a financial burden for some researchers.

  • Upholding Journal Reputation and Impact

The reputation of a journal is often linked to the academic society that supports it. Journals affiliated with respected societies typically have higher impact factors, attract submissions from leading researchers, and maintain strict editorial standards. For medical writers, publishing in a high-impact journal can significantly enhance the visibility and credibility of the research they are helping communicate.

When preparing manuscripts, medical writers should consider the impact and reach of the journals they are targeting. Submitting work to society-affiliated journals that maintain high editorial standards can improve the likelihood of publication and ensure that research reaches the intended audience.

  1. Supporting Medical Writers: Collaboration Between Writers and Academic Societies

Academic societies are not only beneficial to researchers; they also play a crucial role in supporting medical writers. Many societies offer specialized resources to writers, including style guides, ethical guidelines, and access to professional networks. For example, organizations such as the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) and European Medical Writers Association (EMWA) provide valuable training opportunities and certifications for medical writers.

  • Continuing Education and Professional Development

By collaborating with academic societies, medical writers can access continuing education opportunities that will help them stay current in their fields. Many societies offer workshops, webinars, and online courses that cover topics, like manuscript preparation, ethical writing practices, and advancements in medical research.

These educational opportunities not only enhance the skills of medical writers, but also contribute to the overall quality of the research publications they help produce. By being informed about the latest trends in medical writing and journal publishing, writers can improve the accuracy, clarity, and ethical standards of their work.

  • Bridging the Gap Between Researchers and Publishers

Medical writers often serve as intermediaries for researchers and publishers. By understanding the standards and requirements of academic societies, medical writers can help researchers navigate the publication process smoothly. This includes preparing manuscripts that meet society-specific guidelines, ensuring compliance with ethical standards, and facilitating clear communication between the authors and journal editors. Through this collaboration, medical writers contribute to the successful dissemination of research, ensuring that it reaches the right audience and has a lasting effect on the scientific community. The role of academic societies in journal publishing is essential to maintaining the integrity, accessibility, and credibility of scientific research.

At Turacoz, we understand the pivotal role academic societies play in setting rigorous standards for ethical and credible scientific communication. Our expert medical writers are dedicated to producing content that not only meets these high standards but also contributes to advancing scientific knowledge. Leveraging the resources and guidelines provided by academic societies, we ensure the accuracy, credibility, and impact of the research we help communicate. We stay updated on emerging trends and innovations in publishing, such as open-access platforms and transparent peer review processes, guiding researchers through the complexities of today’s academic landscape. By partnering with Turacoz, you gain a dedicated ally who is equipped to elevate your research, ensuring it meets the highest academic standards while reaching the widest possible audience. Visit www.turacoz.com or contact us at [email protected] to learn how we can support your publishing journey

Visualizing Medical Data: Enhancing Understanding and Communication

Medical Writing, Publication Writing, Regulatory Writing, Scientific Writing

In medical and scientific writing, effectively communicating complex information is vital to ensuring that research findings, clinical data, and patient outcomes are clearly understood. As data becomes more abundant, healthcare professionals and researchers are increasingly relying on data visualization as a key tool for simplifying complex datasets. For medical writers, data visualization can transform written content into visually engaging and informative material that enhances comprehension and decision-making.

The Importance of Data Visualization

  • Improved comprehension: Complex data is easier to interpret when presented visually, helping readers grasp key information faster.
  • Enhanced decision-making: Healthcare professionals can make more informed decisions when data is presented in a clear, concise manner.
  • Increased engagement: Visual content is more engaging and memorable, making the message more impactful.

How Data Visualization is Used in Healthcare

In healthcare, data visualization is used in various ways, from monitoring patient health to evaluating healthcare system performance. Medical writers often contribute to these processes by creating documents and reports that incorporate visual elements, helping different stakeholders—healthcare providers, researchers, and patients—make sense of the data.

  1. Patient Monitoring: In clinical settings, healthcare professionals use dashboards and visual reports to track patient health metrics in real-time. This allows for quick identification of abnormal trends, such as sudden spikes in heart rate or blood pressure, prompting timely interventions.
  2. Clinical Research: Data visualization is essential for presenting research findings, making it easier to communicate complex statistical data from clinical trials or population studies. Medical writers can use charts, graphs, and other visual elements to summarize results, allowing readers to quickly grasp significant findings and their implications.
  3. Public Health Initiatives: Public health authorities often rely on visual tools, such as heat maps and bar graphs, to track disease outbreaks, vaccination rates, or healthcare access. Visualizations help these agencies monitor trends, allocate resources efficiently, and educate the public.
  4. Decision Support Systems: Decision support tools that use visual analytics assist clinicians in selecting appropriate treatments, assessing risks, and predicting patient outcomes. Visual dashboards and algorithms can help professionals make quicker, evidence-based decisions.

For medical writers, understanding the role of visualization in healthcare allows them to craft content that aligns with the needs of healthcare providers and researchers while making complex data more accessible.

Infographics for Visualizing Medical Data

Infographics have become a powerful tool for medical writers to communicate data in a more engaging format. By combining visual elements like charts, icons, and text, infographics present data in a way that is easy to understand. This is particularly important in medical writing, where the audience can range from highly specialized clinicians to patients with limited medical knowledge.

For medical writers, infographics serve multiple purposes:

  • Patient Education: Infographics can break down medical information into clear, easy-to-follow steps, making it easier for patients to understand their condition, treatment options, or preventative measures.
  • Scientific Communication: In research articles or reports, medical writers can use infographics to highlight key findings, summarizing the most important data points in a visually appealing way.
  • Public Health Campaigns: Infographics are often used in public health messaging to inform the general population about important health issues, such as vaccination schedules, hygiene practices, or disease prevention.

Incorporating infographics into medical writing not only enhances clarity but also increases the likelihood that the content will be shared and referenced, broadening its reach and impact.

Posters in Hallways and Doctors’ Offices: A Thing of the Past?

For many years, posters in hospitals, doctors’ offices, and clinic hallways served as a primary way to communicate health information. However, in today’s digital age, static posters are being replaced by more dynamic and interactive forms of data visualization. Medical writers now can move beyond traditional posters and embrace digital communication tools, such as:

  • Interactive Screens: Digital displays in waiting rooms and hallways can present rotating information, such as patient education videos, real-time health statistics, or news updates. This digital shift offers more flexibility in updating content and engaging patients.
  • Online Platforms: With the rise of telemedicine and digital health apps, patients are accessing health information online. Medical writers can create interactive infographics, videos, and other digital content tailored to these platforms.

While posters may still have a role in certain settings, digital tools allow medical writers to create more dynamic, customizable content that can be easily updated and widely distributed.

Graphical Reports on Clinical Data and Performance

Medical writers play a crucial role in creating these reports, which often include:

  • Visual Performance Dashboards: Dashboards can track key performance indicators (KPIs) such as patient satisfaction, readmission rates, and average hospital stays. These visualizations allow healthcare administrators to monitor their institution’s performance and make informed decisions to improve services.
  • Patient Outcome Reports: Medical writers can use visual elements to create reports that summarize patient outcomes, such as treatment efficacy or recovery rates. These reports are useful for both clinicians and patients in assessing the success of a treatment plan.

By using graphical elements, medical writers can ensure that clinical reports are not only informative but also visually engaging, making it easier for healthcare professionals to absorb and act on the information.

How to Implement Data Visualization in the Healthcare Sector

Implementing data visualization in the healthcare sector requires careful planning and collaboration among various stakeholders. Medical writers can play a key role in this implementation by following these steps:

  1. Understand the Audience: Medical writers should tailor their visualizations based on the target audience, whether it’s clinicians, researchers, patients, or the public. Different audiences require different levels of complexity in their data presentations.
  2. Choose the Right Tools: There are numerous software tools available for creating data visualizations, including Tableau, Power BI, and Google Data Studio. Medical writers should be familiar with these tools to create effective, professional-grade visualizations.
  3. Simplify Complex Data: The goal of visualization is to make data easier to understand. Medical writers should avoid overloading their visuals with too much information and focus on highlighting the most critical data points.
  4. Ensure Accuracy: Data visualization must accurately represent the underlying data. Medical writers need to collaborate with data analysts and healthcare professionals to ensure that the visualizations are both accurate and informative.
  5. Regularly Update Content: Healthcare data is constantly changing, and medical writers should ensure that their visual content is regularly updated to reflect the latest information and trends.

Read More: Navigating Predatory Publishing in Medical Communications: A Comprehensive Guide

AI and the Future of Healthcare

Artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing healthcare, and data visualization is no exception. AI can process vast amounts of data, identify patterns, and present insights in visual formats that are easy to interpret. For medical writers, this means that AI-driven tools can assist in creating more sophisticated and predictive visualizations.

  1. Predictive Analytics: AI can analyze patient data to predict outcomes, such as the likelihood of disease progression or treatment success. Medical writers can incorporate these predictive models into their reports, helping clinicians make proactive decisions.
  2. Personalized Visualizations: AI can generate personalized visualizations based on individual patient data. For example, AI algorithms could create customized dashboards for patients to track their progress and understand their treatment plans.
  3. Streamlined Content Creation: AI-powered tools can help medical writers by automating parts of the content creation process, such as generating charts and graphs based on raw data inputs.

Conclusion

Data visualization is an indispensable tool in modern healthcare, offering a way to simplify complex data and communicate it effectively to a wide range of audiences. Medical writers, as key facilitators of healthcare communication, can harness the power of data visualization to enhance their content, making it more accessible, engaging, and impactful. As AI continues to shape the future of healthcare, the role of data visualization will only grow, creating exciting opportunities for medical writers to further improve how healthcare data is presented and understood.

Bridging the Gap: How to Write User-Friendly Medical Content

Medical Publishing, Medical Writing, ,

Are you finding it challenging to make your medical communications clear and engaging?

Navigating the world of medical content can sometimes feel like deciphering a foreign language, even for seasoned professionals. The goal of this blog is to help you create content that is clear, engaging, and most importantly, user-friendly. Let’s dive into some tips to help you communicate more effectively with your audience, whether they are healthcare professionals or patients.

  1. Know Your Audience

First and foremost, understanding your audience is crucial. Are you writing for healthcare professionals (HCPs) or patients?

The language and level of detail you use will differ greatly. For HCPs, you can use more technical terms and delve into complex details. For patients, however, it is essential to use plain language and avoid jargon. Always keep in mind who you are speaking to and tailor your message accordingly.

  1. Clarity is Key

Medical information can be complex, but your job is to make it as clear as possible. Use simple, straightforward language, and avoid long, convoluted sentences. Break down complex ideas into manageable chunks. Remember, the clearer your content, the easier it will be for your audience to understand and retain the information.

  1. Engage with Stories and Analogies

People love stories. They make information more relatable and memorable. Use real-life examples, patient stories, or analogies to explain complex medical concepts. For instance, describing the immune system as a “security system” that protects the body from intruders can make the concept more accessible to a layperson.

Read More: How to Write Medical Content That Ranks on Search Engines?

  1. Use Visual Aids

A picture is worth a thousand words, especially in medical communications. Diagrams, infographics, and videos can help illustrate your points and make your content more engaging. Visual aids are particularly helpful when explaining procedures, anatomy, or the effects of certain medications. Just make sure that your visuals are clear and accurately represent the information you are conveying.

  1. Make It Interactive

Interactive content can greatly enhance user engagement. Consider incorporating quizzes, interactive diagrams, or clickable links that provide additional information. Interactive elements can help reinforce learning and keep your audience engaged. For example, a quiz at the end of an article about diabetes management could help patients assess their understanding and encourage them to learn more.

  1. Keep It Crisp

In today’s fast-paced world, attention spans are short. Keep your content concise and to the point. Avoid unnecessary fluff, and focus on delivering valuable information. Bullet points, numbered lists, and short paragraphs can help break up the text and make it more digestible.

  1. Provide Clear Calls to Action

Whether you want your readers to schedule an appointment, read more about a condition, or follow a treatment plan, make sure your calls to action are clear and easy to follow. Use direct language and provide easy-to-follow instructions. For example, “Click here to book your appointment” is more effective than a vague “Learn more.”

  1. Be Empathetic and Supportive

Empathy goes a long way in medical communications. Acknowledge the emotional and physical challenges your audience may be facing, and offer support and encouragement. Use a friendly and reassuring tone. For example, instead of saying, “You must take your medication daily,” try, “Taking your medication daily can help you feel better and stay healthy. We’re here to support you every step of the way.”

  1. Seek Feedback and Improve

Finally, don’t be afraid to ask for feedback. Whether through surveys, comment sections, or direct conversations, gather insights from your audience about what works and what doesn’t. Use this feedback to continuously improve your content and better meet the needs of your readers.

In conclusion, making your medical content user-friendly is all about clarity, engagement, and empathy. By knowing your audience, using simple language, incorporating visuals, and being supportive, you can create content that truly resonates with your readers.

Happy writing!

For more information or assistance, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected].

The Importance of Indexing in Academic Journals

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In the rapidly evolving academic publishing world, journal indexing plays a pivotal role in determining the visibility, accessibility, and credibility of research. Whether you are a seasoned researcher or a novice in the field, understanding the importance of journal indexing is crucial for navigating the publication landscape effectively. This blog explores the significance of journal indexing, the process through which journals are indexed, and the implications of indexing for the visibility and credibility of research.

What is Journal Indexing?

Journal indexing refers to the inclusion of academic journals in a database or directory that categorizes and lists publications based on specific criteria. These databases serve as repositories of scholarly content, making it easier for researchers, academics, and professionals to discover relevant literature in their fields. Common indexing databases include PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar.

Indexing databases vary in scope and specialization. Some are broad and multidisciplinary, covering a wide range of academic fields, while others are more specialized, focusing on specific disciplines, such as medicine, engineering, or social sciences. The inclusion of a journal in these databases is often seen as a mark of quality and credibility, as indexed journals are subject to rigorous evaluation.

The Significance of Journal Indexing

  1. Enhanced Visibility and Discoverability: One of the primary benefits of journal indexing is its increased visibility of published research. When a journal is indexed in a reputable database, its content becomes more accessible to global audiences. Researchers can easily find articles through keyword searches, leading to a higher likelihood of citations. Increased visibility can have a cascading effect, contributing to the academic impact and recognition of the research.
  2. Credibility and Prestige: Indexing is often associated with credibility and prestige in the academic communities. Journals indexed in well-known databases generally adhere to high standards of quality, peer review, and editorial integrity. This recognition can enhance the reputation of both the journal and the authors who publish in it. Researchers are more likely to submit their work to indexed journals, if they know that they will be taken seriously by peers and evaluators.
  3. Access to a Wider Audience: Indexed journals often have a broader reach, attracting readers from diverse academic backgrounds and institutions. This can lead to more collaborations, discussions, and advancements in the field. Publishing in an indexed journal means that their work is more likely to be read and cited by others, thus contributing to the overall growth of knowledge within their discipline.
  4. Improved Citation Rates: Articles published in indexed journals tend to have higher citation rates than those in non-indexed journals. This is partly due to the ease with which these articles can be found and accessed in databases used by researchers worldwide. Citations are a key metric for assessing the impact and influence of a researcher’s work, making indexing an important factor for academic success.
  5. Compliance with Institutional and Funder Requirements: Many academic institutions and funding agencies require researchers to publish in indexed journals for career advancement, grant approval, or research funding. Indexing serves as a form of validation, ensuring that the research meets the established standards of quality and rigor. Researchers can fulfil these requirements and enhance their professional credentials by publishing in indexed journals.

How Do Journals Get Indexed?

The process of getting a journal indexed is rigorous and involves several steps. Indexing databases have specific criteria that journals must meet for inclusion. While these criteria may vary depending on the database, some common factors include the following:

  1. Peer Review Process: One of the most critical aspects of journal indexing is the resilient peer review process. Indexing databases prioritize journals that demonstrate a commitment to thorough, unbiased, and transparent peer review, ensuring the quality and reliability of published research.
  2. Editorial Quality: The overall quality of the editorial process, including the qualifications and expertise of the editorial board, plays a significant role in determining whether a journal is indexed. Journals with reputable editors, who are experts in their fields, are more likely to be indexed.
  3. Publication Ethics: Adherence to ethical publishing practices is essential for indexing. Journals must demonstrate a commitment to ethical standards, including conflicts of interest policies, proper attribution of authorship, and transparency in the publication process. Journals that engage in unethical practices, such as predatory publishing, are unlikely to be indexed.
  4. Timeliness and Regularity: Indexing databases prefer journals that publish regularly and on time. Consistency in publication frequency and the timely release of issues are important indicators of a journal’s reliability and professionalism.
  5. Originality and Relevance: The content published in a journal must be original, relevant, and contribute to the advancement of the field. Indexing databases assess the significance and impact of the research published in the journal as well as their relevance to the academic community.
  6. International Standard Serial Number (ISSN): An ISSN is a basic indexing requirement. The ISSN serves as a unique identifier for the journal, helping databases categorize and track it accurately.
  7. Citations and Impact Factor: Some indexing databases consider a journal’s citation metrics, such as its impact factor, when making indexing decisions. Journals with higher citation rates and impact factors are more likely to be indexed as they demonstrate the journal’s influence and importance in its field.

Read More: The Future of Academic Publishing: Trends and Predictions

The Impact of Indexing on Research Visibility and Credibility

Journal indexing has a direct impact on research visibility and credibility. When a journal is indexed, it gains a wider audience and becomes more accessible to researchers worldwide. This increased visibility can lead to higher citation rates, thereby enhancing the academic impact of research.

Moreover, indexing serves as a mark of quality and reliability, signalling to the academic community that the journal adheres to high standards of peer review, editorial integrity, and ethical publishing practices. Consequently, research published in indexed journals is often viewed as more credible and trustworthy.

Publishing in indexed journals can significantly boost their professional reputation and career prospects. Indexed publications are often considered more prestigious and given greater weight in academic evaluations, tenure decisions, and funding applications.

In the competitive landscape of academic publishing, journal indexing plays a crucial role in determining the visibility, accessibility, and credibility of research. By understanding the significance of indexing and the process by which journals are indexed, researchers can make informed decisions about where to publish their work.

At Turacoz, we understand the importance of targeting the right journals for research purposes. We employ indexing databases to identify the most suitable journals for your work, ensuring that research reaches the widest possible audience and achieves the recognition it deserves. Whether you are looking to publish in a highly specialized journal or a multidisciplinary platform, our expert medical writers help in journal selection and navigate the complexities of academic publishing with confidence. For more information, visit www.turacoz.com to discover how proper journal indexing can enhance your research visibility and impact.

Journal Submission Process: Tips for Researchers

Medical Devices, Medical Writing,

The journey from completing a research project to seeing your work published in a reputable journal can be daunting. The submission process involves several critical steps: selecting the right journal, preparing a manuscript, and handling revisions and rejections. This guide offers practical advice to help researchers effectively navigate this process.

Selecting the Right Journal

Choosing the right journal is a crucial step. A well-chosen journal increases the chances of acceptance and ensures your work reaches the appropriate audience.

Understand Research Niche

  • Identify the Audience: Consider who would benefit most from the research findings. Is the work highly specialized or general? Identifying the audience will help narrow down the list of potential journals. For example, if the research is on a niche topic within oncology, it might look for journals that specialize in cancer research rather than general medical journals.
  • Journal Scope: Review the aims and scope of potential journals to ensure the manuscript aligns with their focus. Many journals outline their scope on their website, detailing the types of articles they are interested in. This can save time and effort by ensuring that the work is suitable for the journal before submission.
  • Read Past Issues: Familiarize with the type of research published in the journal. This helps gauge whether the work fits their editorial style and content. Reading past issues also gives insight into the topics and methodologies that the journal prioritizes.

Assess Journal Quality and Impact

  • Impact Factor: While not the sole indicator of quality, the impact factor can give an idea of the journal’s reach and influence. However, it is important to balance the desire for a high-impact publication with the suitability of the journal for specific research.
  • Reputation: Look at the editorial board and the journal’s reputation within the field. High-quality journals often have renowned experts as editors, which can lend credibility to published work.
  • Indexing: Ensure the journal is indexed in major databases like PubMed, Scopus, or Web of Science. Indexing in these databases increases the visibility and accessibility of research.

Practical Considerations

  • Open Access Subscription-Based: Decide whether to make the article freely accessible (open access) or to accept it being behind a paywall. Open access can increase the reach of the research but often involves higher publication fees.
  • Publication Time: Some journals have longer review and publication times. Consider how quickly the work needs to be published, especially if the research is time-sensitive or if there are deadlines for career progression.
  • Publication Charges: Be aware of submission or publication fees, especially for open-access journals. Consider these costs during the decision-making process.

Preparing the Manuscript

A well-prepared manuscript can significantly increase the chances of acceptance. Here are key steps to ensure the manuscript is polished and ready for submission.

Follow Journal Guidelines

  • Author Instructions: Each journal has specific guidelines for formatting, structure, and submission. Adhere to these meticulously to avoid desk rejection. These guidelines often include details on word count, figure and table formats, and referencing style.
  • Referencing Style: Use the correct citation style as required by the journal. Consistency in referencing is crucial, as incorrect citations can be a red flag for reviewers.

Writing Tips

  • Clear and Concise: Write clearly and concisely. Avoid jargon and ensure the manuscript is easy to understand. Clarity is the key to effective communication, especially when conveying complex research findings.
  • Logical Structure: Organize the manuscript logically, with a clear introduction, methods, results, and discussion. Each section should flow naturally into the next, guiding the reader through the research process.
  • Strong Abstract: Craft a compelling abstract. It should summarize the study’s key points and entice readers to delve deeper. A well-written abstract can capture the attention of reviewers and readers.
  • Figures and Tables: Use figures and tables to present data effectively. Ensure they are well-designed and complement the text. Visual aids can help clarify complex data and make the findings more accessible.

Peer Review and Editing

  • Internal Review: Have colleagues review the manuscript before submission. Fresh eyes can catch errors and provide valuable feedback. Internal reviews can also provide insights into the clarity and impact of the manuscript.
  • Professional Editing: Consider professional editing services, especially if English is not your first language. A polished manuscript stands a better chance during the review process. Professional editors can help refine the writing, ensuring it meets the high standards of academic publishing.

Handling Revisions and Rejections

Receiving feedback from reviewers is an integral part of the submission process. Knowing how to handle revisions and rejections can turn setbacks into opportunities for improvement.

Revisions

  • Respond Promptly: Address reviewers’ comments promptly and thoroughly. Delays can slow down the publication process. Timely responses demonstrate the commitment to the publication process and respect for the reviewers’ time.
  • Be Detailed: In response to reviewers, address each comment individually. Provide clear explanations of the changes made. Detailed responses demonstrate thoughtful consideration of feedback and appropriate adjustments.
  • Be Respectful: Maintaining a respectful tone, even in disagreement with a reviewer’s comment, is important. Diplomacy can smooth the review process. If a comment appears to be based on a misunderstanding, providing a polite clarification supported by evidence is advisable.

Rejections

  • Never Take it Personally: Rejection is part of the process. Even top researchers face rejection. Use it as a learning experience. Remember that rejection is often not a reflection of the quality of work but may be due to fit or other factors beyond control.
  • Review Feedback: Carefully review the feedback provided. It can offer insights into how to improve the manuscript. Constructive criticism can help identify weaknesses and areas for enhancement.
  • Revise and Resubmit: Use the feedback to revise the manuscript. You can then resubmit to the same journal or consider a different, more suitable journal. Persistence and willingness to improve are key to eventual success.
  • Persistence Pays Off: Persistence is key. Keep refining work and submitting it until it finds a home. Many successful researchers have stories of multiple rejections before achieving publication.

Navigating the journal submission process requires careful planning, attention to detail, and resilience. Selecting the right journal, meticulously preparing the manuscript, and handling revisions and rejections with professionalism, can improve the chances of seeing research published. Each step is a learning opportunity that brings researchers closer to contributing valuable knowledge to the field.

Additional Tips

  • Networking: Attend conferences and engage with fellow researchers. Networking can provide insights into journal reputations and submission tips.
  • Stay Updated: Keep abreast of trends and changes in the field. This includes new journals, changes in editorial boards, and evolving publication standards.
  • Keep Records: Maintain detailed records of the submissions, including dates, responses, and feedback. This can help track the progress and manage multiple submissions.

Publishing the research is a significant achievement that requires dedication and strategic planning. By following these tips and remaining committed to the process, can navigate the journal submission process successfully and contribute meaningful advancements to the field.

The journal submission process can be both challenging and rewarding. At Turacoz Healthcare Solutions, we support through every stage of academic publishing, with a range of services designed to enhance the quality and impact of research work. Our expertise extends beyond journal publication to include manuscript refinement, revision handling, and guidance on journal selection. We also offer additional support for book writing, thesis development, and chapter authoring. Partner with us to advance research and ensure it reaches its full potential. For more information, visit www.turacoz.com to explore how we can help achieve your academic goals.

The Future of Academic Publishing: Trends and Predictions

Medical Writing, Uncategorized,

Academic publishing is undergoing a significant transformation, driven by technological advancements, changing attitudes toward knowledge dissemination, and the need for greater transparency in research. As medical writers, it’s crucial to stay informed of these developments to better serve our clients and contribute to the evolving scholarly communication ecosystem. This blog explores emerging trends and predicts future developments in academic publishing, with a focus on their implications for medical writing.

Open Peer Review: Transparency in the Evaluation Process

One of the most notable trends in academic publishing is the move toward open peer review. Traditionally, peer review was typically a closed process, with reviewers remaining anonymous and their comments hidden from public view. However, there’s a growing push for transparency in this crucial step of scholarly publishing.

Open peer review can take various forms, ranging from simply publishing reviewer reports alongside the final article to revealing reviewer identities and allowing public comment on preprints. This shift towards openness aims to address several issues in the current system, including:

  1. Accountability: By making reviewer comments public, there is increased accountability for both reviewers and authors.
  2. Credit for Reviewers: Open peer review allows reviewers to receive recognition for their contributions to the scientific process.
  3. Educational Value: Early career researchers can learn from seeing high-quality peer reviews.
  4. Reducing Bias: Open peer review may help diminish some forms of bias in the review process.

For medical writers, this trend necessitates a deeper understanding of the peer review process and the ability to guide clients through more transparent scholarly communication. We may need to assist authors in preparing responses to reviewer comments that will be publicly visible, requiring a more tactful and constructive approach.

Data Sharing Policies: Enhancing Reproducibility and Transparency

Another significant trend is the implementation of stricter data-sharing policies by journals and funding bodies to promote open data. This push aims to enhance research reproducibility, allow for secondary analyses, and increase overall transparency in scientific research.

Key aspects of this trend include:

  1. Mandatory Data Availability Statements: Many journals now require authors to include a statement on how and where their data can be accessed, fostering data transparency.
  2. Data Repositories: The use of specialized repositories for different types of data (e.g., genomic, imaging, clinical trial data) is becoming more common.
  3. FAIR Principles: There is an increasing emphasis on making data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable, promoting data usability and accessibility.

For medical writers, this trend requires a thorough understanding of data management practices and the ability to guide clients in preparing their data for sharing. We may need to assist in writing clear data availability statements, ensuring proper data anonymization, and navigating the complexities of various data-sharing platforms.

Artificial Intelligence in Publishing: Shaping the Future

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is poised to revolutionize various aspects of academic publishing. While it will not replace human expertise, AI will likely augment and streamline many processes. Some key areas where AI is making inroads include:

  1. Manuscript Screening: AI tools can help editors quickly assess whether submissions meet basic criteria and are within the journal’s scope.
  2. Plagiarism Detection: Advanced AI algorithms can detect not just verbatim copying but also paraphrased content and idea plagiarism.
  3. Reference Checking: AI can verify the accuracy and completeness of citations more efficiently than manual checking.
  4. Language Polishing: AI-powered tools can assist in improving the clarity and grammar of manuscripts, particularly beneficial for non-native English speakers.
  5. Peer Reviewer Matching: AI algorithms can suggest appropriate reviewers based on the manuscript’s content and reviewers’ expertise.

As medical writers, it is essential to stay informed about these AI tools and potentially incorporate them into our workflow. However, it is crucial to maintain a critical eye and not over-rely on AI-generated content or suggestions.

Preprint Servers: Accelerating Scientific Communication

The rise of preprint servers, such as medRxiv for health sciences, is another trend reshaping academic publishing. These servers allow researchers to share their findings rapidly, before the often lengthy peer review process. This trend has several implications:

  1. Faster Dissemination of Research: Crucial in fast-moving fields or during health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.
  2. Increased Visibility: These can attract collaborators and feedback early in the research process.
  3. Establishing Priority: Researchers can stake their claim to ideas and findings earlier.

However, the proliferation of preprints also raises concerns about the quality of non-peer-reviewed research entering the public domain. As medical writers, we may need to help clients navigate the decision of whether to post preprints and assist in preparing manuscripts that clearly state their preprint status.

Predictions for the Future of Academic Publishing

Looking ahead, several developments are likely to shape the future of academic publishing:

  • Blockchain for Peer Review: Blockchain technology could be used to create a transparent, immutable record of the peer review process, potentially addressing issues of trust and accountability.
  • AI-Assisted Authorship: While AI will not replace human authors, it may play a larger role in literature reviews, generating hypotheses, and even drafting sections of papers.
  • Interactive Papers: Future academic papers may incorporate multimedia elements, live data visualizations, and even virtual reality components to create a more interactive reading experience.
  • Micro-publications: There may be a shift towards publishing smaller units of research, such as individual experiments or observations, rather than waiting to compile a full paper.
  • Continuous Publishing: Some journals may abandon the issue and volumes-based model, instead publish articles on a rolling basis as soon as they are ready.
  • Alternative Metrics: Traditional impact factors may be supplemented or replaced by more diverse metrics that capture societal impact, policy influence, and public engagement.
  • Open Access Dominance: The trend towards open access is likely to continue, potentially becoming the dominant model for academic publishing, with more journals making their content freely available online.

Peer Review Evolution: These may become more collaborative, with reviewers and authors working together to improve papers through multiple rounds of feedback.

Implications for Medical Writers

These trends and predictions have significant implications for medical writers:

  1. Expanded Skill Set: We will need to develop new skills, such as data management, AI tool utilization, and multimedia content creation.
  2. Ethical Considerations: As AI becomes more prevalent in writing and publishing, we willneed to navigate complex ethical issues around authorship and originality.
  3. Adaptability: The publishing landscape is likely to remain in flux, requiring us to stay adaptable and continuously update our knowledge and practices.
  4. Client Education: We will play an important role in educating clients about new publishing models, data-sharing requirements, and the evolving peer review process.
  5. Quality Assurance: With the rise of preprints and AI-assisted writing, our role in ensuring the quality and accuracy of scientific communication will become even more crucial.
  6. Interdisciplinary Collaboration: As research becomes more complex and data-intensive, we may need to collaborate more closely with data scientists, statisticians, and other specialists.

The future of academic publishing is exciting and challenging, with trends towards greater openness, transparency, and technological integration. As medical writers, we are uniquely positioned to help navigate this changing landscape. By staying informed about these trends and developing new skills, we can continue to play a vital role in ensuring effective and accurate scientific communication.

The key to thriving in this evolving environment will be our ability to adapt, embrace new technologies while maintaining a critical perspective and continue to prioritize the clear and accurate communication of scientific ideas. As we move forward, our expertise in crafting compelling narratives and translating complex scientific concepts will remain invaluable, even as the medium and methods of publishing continue to evolve.

Turacoz Healthcare Solutions stands at the forefront of academic publishing, offering comprehensive medical writing services that cater to the needs of researchers, clinicians, and academicians. Our team is adept at navigating the complexities of modern publishing, from open peer review to AI integration and data sharing. Partnering with Turacoz, you gain access to a wealth of knowledge and experience to help you publish confidently and clearly. Visit www.turacoz.com or contact us at [email protected] to learn more about how we can support your academic publishing journey.

Predictive Analytics in Medical Research: The Role of AI

Medical Writing, Publication Writing, ,

In the rapidly evolving field of medical research, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) has brought transformative changes. Among the various AI-driven technologies, predictive analytics has emerged as a crucial tool. By leveraging historical data, statistical algorithms, and machine learning techniques, predictive analytics can forecast future trends and outcomes with remarkable accuracy. For medical writers, understanding and utilizing predictive analytics can significantly enhance their work’s quality and impact, especially in medical communication.

The Evolution of Predictive Analytics in Medical Research

Predictive analytics in medical research is not a novel concept. Traditionally, researchers have used statistical methods to analyze data and make predictions. However, the advent of AI has revolutionized this process by enabling the analysis of vast datasets with greater speed and precision. AI-powered predictive analytics can identify patterns and correlations that might be missed by human analysis, thus offering deeper insights and more accurate predictions.

Key Components of Predictive Analytics

  1. Data Collection and Preparation: The foundation of predictive analytics lies in collecting high-quality data. This data can come from various sources, including electronic health records (EHRs), clinical trials, and real-world evidence (RWE). Preparing this data involves cleaning, normalizing, and structuring it to ensure it is suitable for analysis.
  2. Model Development: AI algorithms are trained on historical data to develop predictive models. These models can range from simple linear regression to complex neural networks, depending on the nature of the data and the prediction goals.
  3. Validation and Testing: Before deploying predictive models, they must be validated and tested to ensure their accuracy and reliability. This involves comparing the model’s predictions with actual outcomes to assess its performance.
  4. Deployment and Monitoring: Once validated, predictive models are deployed in real-world settings. Continuous monitoring is essential to ensure the model remains accurate over time, and adjustments may be needed based on new data.
  5. Integration with Clinical Workflows:
    1. API development for model deployment
    2. User interfaces for healthcare professionals
    3. Integration with existing health information systems
  6. Continuous Monitoring and Updating:
    1. Performance tracking over time
    2. Model retraining with new data
    3. Drift detection and handling
  7. Ethical and Regulatory Compliance:
    1. Ensuring patient privacy and data security
    2. Addressing bias and fairness in AI models
    3. Compliance with healthcare regulations (e.g., HIPAA, GDPR)
  8. Domain Expertise:
    1. Collaboration with medical professionals
    2. Incorporation of clinical guidelines and medical knowledge
    3. Validation of AI findings against established medical practices

The Role of Predictive Analytics in Medical Communication

Enhancing Clinical Trial Reporting

One of the most significant applications of predictive analytics in medical communication is in the reporting of clinical trials. Medical writers are often tasked with summarizing complex trial data and presenting it clearly and concisely. Predictive analytics can streamline this process by:

  1. Disease prediction and risk assessment: AI algorithms can analyze patient data to predict the likelihood of developing certain diseases or health conditions. This helps in early intervention and preventive care.
  2. Drug discovery and development: AI can accelerate the drug discovery process by analyzing vast amounts of molecular and clinical data to identify potential drug candidates and predict their efficacy and safety.
  3. Personalized treatment plans: By analyzing patient data, genetic information, and treatment outcomes, AI can help develop personalized treatment plans tailored to individual patients.
  4. Medical imaging analysis: AI algorithms can analyze medical images like X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans to detect anomalies and assist in diagnosis, often catching details that human observers might miss.
  5. Clinical trial optimization: AI can help in patient selection for clinical trials, predict trial outcomes, and optimize trial designs, potentially reducing costs and time to market for new treatments.
  6. Electronic Health Record (EHR) analysis: AI can extract insights from large EHR datasets to identify patterns, predict patient outcomes, and suggest interventions.
  7. Epidemic prediction and management: AI models can analyze various data sources to predict disease outbreaks and help in resource allocation during epidemics.
  8. Biomarker discovery: AI can analyze complex biological data to identify new biomarkers for diseases, aiding in early detection and treatment monitoring.
  9. Healthcare resource allocation: Predictive models can help healthcare systems optimize resource allocation by forecasting patient admissions, length of stay, and required care.
  10. Precision medicine: AI supports the advancement of precision medicine by analyzing genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors to predict treatment responses.

Personalizing Patient Communication

Effective patient communication is crucial in medical practice, and predictive analytics can play a pivotal role in personalizing this communication. Medical writers can leverage predictive models to:

  1. Tailor Information Delivery: Predictive analytics can segment patients based on their medical history, preferences, and behaviors. This allows medical writers to tailor educational materials and communication strategies to meet the specific needs of different patient groups.
  2. Forecasting Patient Outcomes: By analyzing patient data, predictive models can forecast individual patient outcomes, such as disease progression or response to treatment. This information can be used to create personalized care plans and educational content that addresses the unique concerns of each patient.
  3. Improving Engagement: Predictive analytics can identify the most effective communication channels and formats for different patient demographics. This ensures that information is delivered in a manner that maximizes patient engagement and comprehension.

Advancing Publication Planning

In the realm of medical publication, predictive analytics can enhance the planning and execution of publication strategies. Medical writers can benefit from:

  1. Identifying High-Impact Research Areas: Predictive models can analyze trends in scientific literature and clinical research to identify emerging areas of interest. This helps medical writers focus on topics that are likely to have a significant impact on the field.
  2. Optimizing Submission Strategies: By analyzing historical publication data, predictive analytics can suggest the most appropriate journals and conferences for submitting research. This increases the likelihood of acceptance and maximizes the visibility of the work.
  3. Forecasting Citation Impact: Predictive models can estimate the potential citation impact of a publication based on various factors, such as the journal’s reputation and the relevance of the research topic. This information can guide strategic decisions in publication planning.

Challenges and Considerations

While the benefits of predictive analytics in medical research and communication are substantial, several challenges needs to be addressed:

  1. Data Quality and Integrity: The accuracy of predictive models depends heavily on the quality of the input data. Ensuring data integrity and addressing issues such as missing or biased data are critical.
  2. Ethical and Privacy Concerns: The use of patient data in predictive analytics raises ethical and privacy considerations. It is essential to implement robust data protection measures and adhere to ethical guidelines to maintain patient trust.
  3. Model Transparency and Interpretability: Complex AI models, such as deep learning algorithms, can sometimes function as “black boxes,” making it difficult to understand how they arrive at their predictions. Developing transparent and interpretable models is crucial for gaining the trust of stakeholders.
  4. Continuous Learning and Adaptation: Predictive models must be continuously updated with new data to maintain their accuracy. This requires ongoing investment in data collection, model development, and validation.

The Future of Predictive Analytics in Medical Communication

The integration of predictive analytics into medical research and communication is poised to grow as AI technologies advance. Staying abreast of these developments and acquiring the necessary skills to leverage predictive analytics will be essential for medical writers.

In the future, we can expect predictive analytics to become more sophisticated, offering even greater insights and more precise forecasts. This will enhance the ability of medical writers to communicate complex medical information effectively, ultimately improving patient care and advancing medical knowledge.

Predictive analytics, powered by AI, is transforming the landscape of medical research and communication. For medical writers, harnessing these technologies offers a unique opportunity to enhance the quality and impact of their work. By understanding and applying predictive analytics, medical writers can forecast trends, personalize patient communication, and optimize publication strategies, contributing to the advancement of medical science and patient care. As the field continues to evolve, embracing these tools will be crucial for staying at the forefront of medical communication.

The Role of Preprints in Modern Research

Medical Publishing, Medical Writing, ,

Scientific research dissemination has undergone a significant transformation in recent years, largely owing to the rise of preprint repositories. Preprints, which are versions of scholarly papers that precede formal peer reviews and publications in academic journals, have become an integral part of the scientific communication ecosystem. This blog explores the rise of preprint repositories, their role in accelerating research dissemination, and their impact on traditional journal publishing.

The Rise of Preprint Repositories

They have emerged as vital platforms on which researchers can share their findings with the global scientific community. Repositories, such as arXiv, bioRxiv, and medRxiv, have become popular across various disciplines. The concept of preprints is not new; it dates to the early 1990s with the launch of arXiv, a repository for physics research. However, the proliferation of preprint servers across different fields is a relatively recent phenomenon driven by the need for quicker dissemination of scientific knowledge. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has accelerated the adoption of preprints. With the urgency to share critical research findings related to the virus, treatments, and vaccines, preprint repositories have played a crucial role in providing immediate access to scientific data. This shift highlights the importance of preprints in responding to global health emergencies and underscores their potential to expedite the research process.

Accelerating Research Dissemination

Preprints have revolutionized the speed at which research findings are shared. Traditionally, peer review and publication in academic journals can take months if not years. This delay can hinder the timely dissemination of important scientific discoveries. Preprints address this issue by allowing researchers to share their work with the community almost immediately after completing their manuscript. Rapid dissemination has several benefits:

  1. Immediate Access to Research: Researchers, clinicians, and policymakers can access the latest findings without waiting for a lengthy peer review process. This immediate access is particularly crucial in fields in which timely information can influence ongoing research and public health decisions.
  2. Increased Collaboration: By making research publicly available at an early stage, preprints foster collaboration and feedback from a broader audience. Researchers should receive constructive comments and suggestions to improve the quality of their work before formal publication.
  3. Enhanced Visibility: Preprints can increase the visibility of research findings. Studies available as preprints can attract the attention of the media, funding agencies, and other researchers, potentially leading to new opportunities for collaboration and funding.

Impact on Traditional Journal Publishing

The rise of preprints has significant implications for traditional journal publishing. While preprints offer several advantages, they also challenge the established norms of scientific communication.

  1. Peer Review Process: One of the primary roles of academic journals is to provide rigorous peer review to ensure the quality and reliability of published research. Preprints, by definition, are not peer-reviewed, which has raised concerns about the potential spread of misinformation and the and credibility of unreviewed findings. However, many preprint servers have implemented basic screening processes to mitigate these concerns.
  2. Citation and Credibility: The acceptance and citation of preprints in academic circles have been the subject of debate. Some researchers and institutions hesitate to cite preprints, preferring peerreviewed articles for their credibility. However, the scientific community is gradually recognizing the value of preprints, and many funding agencies and institutions now consider preprints in grant applications and tenure evaluations.
  3. Economic Model: The conventional journal publishing model, which is based on subscription fees and article processing charges, faces challenges from the open-access nature of preprints. Preprints offer an alternative that can reduce the financial burden on researchers and institutions. This shift has prompted journals to explore new business models and to consider the integration of preprints into their publication pipelines.

Preprints in Medical Research

Preprints are particularly influential in medical research. The importance of sharing findings quickly in the medical field, where discoveries can directly impact patient care and public health policies, cannot be overstated. Preprint repositories like medRxiv have gained prominence, providing a platform for medical researchers to disseminate their work before formal peer review.

However, the use of preprints in medical research also requires careful consideration. Since unreviewed medical research can influence clinical practice and public health decisions, a balanced approach is necessary. Researchers and readers must exercise caution, critically evaluating the credibility and reliability of preprint findings.

Future Directions

The incorporation of preprints into the scientific communication landscape will likely continue to evolve. Several trends and developments can be anticipated:

  1. Enhanced Review Mechanisms: Preprint servers may develop more potent review mechanisms, including post-publication peer review and community-based feedback systems. These enhancements can improve the quality and reliability of preprints while retaining the speed of dissemination.
  2. Integration with Journals: Some academic journals are exploring partnerships with preprint servers, offering streamlined submission processes that allow researchers to submit preprints directly to journals for peer review. This integration can bridge the gap between preprints and traditional publishing.
  3. Policy and Guidelines: Institutions, funding agencies, and publishers are likely to develop clearer policies and guidelines regarding the use of preprints. Standardized practices can help address concerns about the credibility and citation of preprints.
  4. Education and Awareness: As preprints become more prevalent, educating researchers, clinicians, and the public about their proper use and interpretation will be essential. Increased awareness can help mitigate the risks associated with unreviewed research while maximizing the benefits of rapid dissemination.

Preprints have transformed the way scientific research is shared and accessed, offering a faster, more collaborative approach to dissemination. Their rise has had a profound impact on traditional journal publishing, challenging established norms and prompting innovation in the peer review process. As the scientific community continues to embrace preprints, their role in accelerating research dissemination and enhancing public engagement with science is likely to expand, shaping the future of scientific communication.

At Turacoz, we specialize in assisting researchers with the preparation of preprints. Our team of experienced medical writers and reviewers ensures that your preprints are clear, accurate, and impactful, maximizing their potential to reach and engage a broad audience. Visit www.turacoz.com or contact at [email protected] to learn more about how we can support your research communication needs.

Impact Factor and Beyond: Understanding Journal Metrics

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Journal metrics play a crucial role in evaluating the significance and influence of scholarly journals in academic publishing. These metrics serve as quantitative tools that help researchers, institutions, and funding bodies assess the impact of journals and, by extension, the research published within them. Although the impact factor is perhaps the most well-known of these metrics, it is by no means the only one. This blog will dive into various journal metrics, including the impact factor, h-index, and altmetrics, and discuss their significance, limitations, and broader implications for the academic community.

The Impact Factor: A Traditional Measure

The quest to quantify scholarly impact began in the mid-20th century as the volume of scientific literature exploded. Eugene Garfield’s introduction of the Science Citation Index in 1964 and the subsequent development of the impact factor in 1975 marked significant milestones in bibliometrics. The formula for calculating the impact factor is as follows:

Significance of the Impact Factor

  1. Indicator of Influence: The impact factor is widely regarded as an indicator of a journal’s influence and prestige within its field. Higher impact factor values are often associated with prestigious journals.
  2. Decision-Making Tool: Researchers use the impact factor to decide where to submit their work, and institutions use it to assess research output and make funding decisions

Limitations of the Impact Factor

  1. Disciplinary Variations: Different academic fields have different citation behavior. For instance, journals in the natural sciences often have higher impact factors than those in the humanities and social sciences do.
  2. Short-Term Focus: The two-year citation window may not adequately reflect the long-term impact of research, especially in fields where citations accumulate slowly over time.
  3. Susceptibility to Manipulation: Journals may adopt strategies to artificially inflate their impact factors, such as encouraging self-citations or publishing review articles that tend to receive more citations.
  4. Narrow Scope: The impact factor focuses solely on citation counts, ignoring other aspects of scholarly influence, such as societal impact, educational value, or policy influence.

The h-Index: A Measure of Individual and Journal Impact

Introduced by physicist Jorge Hirsch in 2005, aims to measure both the productivity and citation impact of an individual researcher or a journal. An entity has an h-index of h if h of its N papers  have at least h citations each, and the other N – h papers have fewer than h citations each.

Significance of the h-Index

  1. Balanced Metric: The h-index balances quantity (number of publications) and quality (number of citations), providing a more comprehensive measure of impact.
  2. Comparative Tool: This is useful for comparing researchers or journals within the same field, helping to identify influential contributors.

Limitations of the h-Index

  1. Field-Specific Bias: Like the impact factor, the h-index can be biased by field-specific citation practices, which makes cross-disciplinary comparisons problematic.
  2. Age Sensitivity: The h-index tends to favor senior researchers who have had more time to accumulate citations, potentially disadvantaging early-career researchers.
  3. Ignores Context: It does not account for the context of citations, such as whether citations are positive or negative, nor does it consider collaborative efforts where authorship contributions may vary.

Altmetrics: Beyond Traditional Citations

This represents a diverse set of measures that capture the attention research outputs receive online. This includes social media mentions, news coverage, blog posts, and other online platforms. Tools like Altmetric.com and PlumX provide aggregated altmetric scores for individual research output.

Significance of Altmetrics

  1. Broader Impact: Altmetrics capture the broader impact of research, including its influence on public discourse, policy, and practice, which traditional metrics may overlook.
  2. Timeliness: They provide real-time insights into how research is discussed and shared, offering a timely complement to traditional citation metrics.
  3. Engagement: Altmetrics highlights engagement with a wider audience beyond the academic community, reflecting the societal relevance and reach of research.

Limitations of Altmetrics

  1. Data Quality: The reliability and consistency of altmetric data can vary, as it depends on tracking diverse and sometimes ephemeral online activities.
  2. Potential for Gaming: Social media activities can be easily manipulated, raising concerns regarding the authenticity of altmetric scores.
  3. Field-Specific Bias: Certain fields may naturally attract more online attention than others, skewing altmetric comparisons across disciplines.

Integrating Multiple Metrics: A Holistic Approach

While each of these metrics offers valuable insights, none is without flaws. A holistic approach that integrates multiple metrics can provide a more comprehensive evaluation of journal impact. Some strategies for achieving this are as follows:

  1. Combine Metrics: Use a combination of traditional metrics (impact factor, h-index) and alternative metrics (altmetrics) to capture both scholarly and broader societal impacts.
  2. Field-Normalized Indicators: Employ field-normalized indicators to account for disciplinary differences in citation practices, and ensure fair comparisons across fields.
  3. Contextual Analysis: Consider the context of citations and altmetric mentions, distinguishing between positive and negative citations, and identifying the nature of online engagement.
  4. Qualitative Assessments: Complement quantitative metrics with qualitative assessments, such as expert reviews, peer feedback, and case studies, to capture the nuanced impact of research.

The Way Forward

The landscape of journal metrics is evolving, with new tools and methodologies continually being developed to address the limitations of existing metrics. Some emerging trends are as follows:

  • Open Metrics: The movement towards open science is driving the development of open metrics, which are transparent, reproducible, and freely accessible. These metrics aim to provide a more democratic and inclusive assessment of research impact.
  • Responsible Metrics: There is a growing emphasis on responsible metrics that advocate the ethical and responsible use of metrics in research assessment. Initiatives like Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) and the Leiden Manifesto provide guidelines for the responsible use of metrics.
  • AI and Big Data: Advances in artificial intelligence and big data analytics are enabling the development of sophisticated metrics that can analyze vast amounts of data and provide deeper insights into research impact.

Understanding journal metrics is essential for navigating the complex landscape of academic publishing. While traditional metrics like the impact factor and h-index offer valuable insights into scholarly influence, they have significant limitations. Altmetrics provides a complementary perspective by capturing the broader societal impact of research. However, no single metric can fully capture the multifaceted nature of research impact.

A holistic approach that integrates multiple metrics and considers both quantitative and qualitative assessments is crucial for the comprehensive evaluation of journal impact. As the landscape of journal metrics continues to evolve, researchers, institutions, and funding bodies need to stay informed about emerging trends and adopt responsible practices in research assessment.

At Turacoz, we integrate multiple metrics for journal assessment, combining traditional measures like the IF and h-index with innovative altmetrics. This comprehensive approach captures both scholarly influence and broader societal engagement, providing nuanced insights. Our expertise in academic publishing metrics helps clients make informed decisions about where to publish and how to evaluate research impact. Visit www.turacoz.com or contact [email protected] to discover how we can enhance your research strategy and maximize your work’s visibility and influence.

Visual Data – An aid for Scientific Writers

Medical Writing, Scientific Writing, , , , ,

Visualization of data and information makes clinical research and science more realistic and accessible. A visual presentation of data has a stronger and far-reaching impact on the discerning mind. Tables and graphs are two modes of presenting information in a visually appealing manner, which provide a clear picture of the current and expected scenario. Thus, these are excellent communication tools for the presentation of scientific data and information. Ideas, information, and facts summarized using tables and figures instead of complex scientific jargon are relatively easy to understand by patients and laymen, thereby extending their reach.

As so aptly quoted by William Playfair, an engineer who innovated line charts, bar charts, and pie charts “…it occurred to me, that making an appeal to the eye when proportion and magnitude are concerned, is the best and readiest method of conveying a distinct idea.”

Importance of Tables, Figures, and Graphs in Scientific Writing

  • Presentation of complex information using less space and few words
  • Addition of creativity and value to a manuscript layout
  • Help to manage word count limit
  • Makes it easy for the readers to focus on the most relevant information
  • Easy and rapid assimilation of relevant information by readers, particularly busy healthcare professionals
  • Facilitates communication of science in a crisp and comprehensible way

What type of graphs, tables, or figures to include in your manuscript?

This entirely depends on how you want to narrate your story and what you want your readers to focus on.

Click Here:- Keywords – The Probe to Your Manuscript

How can tables, graphs, and figures be used to make technical writing more creative and less complicated?

  • Decide your objective

Tables convey data and information in a logical and orderly manner. Graphs talk about the relationship between different variables and changing trends. The optimal tool should be chosen according to your objective.

  • Adhere to guidelines

Some journals have instructions about design patterns for graphs and tables. Follow the guidelines given by your target journal.

  • Choose consistency

Maintain a consistent pattern for abbreviations, values, treatments, etc.  Avoid any repetition while sharing information and maintain a consistent rhythm.

  • Completely Complete

Graphs and tables should be self-explanatory. As images attract people before the text, so the visual data should be completely complete in itself!

  • Don’t dress up to kill!

Never use both tables and graphs to represent the same data. Titles must be concise, and abbreviations should be mentioned in footnotes. Graphs and illustrations should be arranged systematically and not just to dress up the data!

Everything about visualizing data in scientific writing, from bar graphs to histograms to line graphs, is a fusion of art and technique. However, putting the appropriate pieces in the right place might become challenging at times. Lack of skill can lead to minor errors, but health science is unapologetically intolerant to them! And here is where, Turacoz steps in to upskill you in your journey of scientific writing.

Turacoz offers courses, workshops, and webinars to guide blooming scientific writers.

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Eight Ways to Improve Clarity in Medical Writing

Medical Writing, Tips, , , ,

Introduction to Medical Writing

Medical writing involves producing clear, precise documents of high quality to effectively communicate scientific, medical, and clinical data to a wide range of target audiences. It also includes regulatory writing and medical communications.  With the constant advancements in clinical research, large amounts of data must be translated to target audiences such as regulatory authorities, healthcare professionals, patients, and the general public in a clear, explicit, and well-structured format. Apart from thorough technical knowledge, a medical writer must have excellent writing skills to convey complex scientific information credibly and clearly.

Types of Medical Writing

Clarity in Medical Writing

Clarity is the most valued quality required in medical writing to ensure that the audience perceives correct information without any ambiguity. Lack of clarity is the major issue affecting timely submission of research/regulatory documents, publication acceptance rate, and, accessibility of scientific information to health care providers and patients.

Eight Ways to Improve Clarity in Medical Writing:

  1. Clear and Concise Language:
    • Writing in clear language makes a document easy to understand and increases readability.   It is advisable to use simple words to convey accurate information; using sophisticated words often results in confusion and misinterpretation of data. The best practice is to write simple, short sentences containing one idea per sentence for easy interpretation and keeping it concise by using fewer words to communicate necessary information without eliminating any important data.
  2. Avoid Jargons:
    • Using jargon may hinder effective communication especially when the target audience are non-experts in the field of interest. Though experts like scientists or health care providers are aware of medical jargons, it is always recommended to use simpler words and phrases for better communication.
    • When writing for non-experts such as the general public, it is best to avoid jargons completely. For example, writing ‘fast heart rate’ instead of tachycardia, ‘muscle pain’ instead of myalgia, makes it easier to understand.
  3. Avoid Redundancy:
    • Contrary to the assumption that using more words enhances clarity, it may in fact distract the reader from the original idea. It merely adds length to the document without providing any additional information. Do not repeat information that is already presented in the form of tables and figures. This can be achieved by limiting the overuse of synonyms, double negatives, and intensifiers.
  4. Know your Audience:
    • A medical writer offers services to a diverse range of audiences including clinical and regulatory authorities, physicians, patients, and general public. For effective communication, the scientific content has to be tailored according to the target audience. Even cutting-edge research would not leave an impact on the industry experts if it is not documented to suit their level of comprehension. Similarly, when writing for non-experts, the use of plain language is advised to enhance accessibility. Graphical presentation or images can be considered as a good option to convey complex information in a simpler way.
  5. Active over Passive Voice:
    • Medical writers are encouraged to write in active voice for clarity. It helps to present data in a simple, straightforward, and concise manner.
  6. Grammar and Spellings:
    • Good grammar is instrumental to clear and effective medical writing. Grammatically accurate paper conveys precise meaning and in turn keeps the audience engaged. Proper use of punctuations, hyphens, commas aids facilitate comprehensive communication. Similarly, avoiding spelling mistakes helps decipher the right information; a single error in spelling may change the entire meaning of the sentence. A common challenge experienced is with homophones (words with same pronunciation but different meaning); one needs to be vigilant to avoid misinterpretations.
    • It is also important to consider whether to write in British English or US English depending on the target audience and maintain consistency throughout the document.
  7. Formatting:
    • A well written report without proper formatting appears misconstructed. Often standard documents are required to comply with specific regulatory formats. Implementing client specific formatting guidelines aids in improving clarity thereby increasing the level of acceptance.
  8. Proofreading:
    • Once the document is written, proofreading the entire work is extremely critical to check for any inconsistencies or errors in spelling, grammar, abbreviations, capitalizations, and formatting. This step significantly aids in the dissemination of clear, accurate scientific information.

Conclusion

Medical writers play a crucial role in knowledge transfer among scientists, industry experts, healthcare providers, and the public. Accurate interpretation of sophisticated data is essential for good understanding. Articulating well-structured, precise documents can be achieved by implementing various techniques for improving clarity in medical writing.

Medical Writer: Trusted Partner for Medical Affairs Webinar

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Medical Writing for Disease Management Platforms

Disease and Treatment, , , , ,

Disease management programs (DMPs) are defined as “structured treatment plans that aim to help people manage their chronic disease in a better way and to maintain as well as improve quality of life”. The main components of disease management programs are mentioned in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Components of Disease Management Software

By application, the care management solution is classified into chronic care management, disease management and utilization management.

Disease Management Software’s

According to Markets and Markets™ report, the disease management software market is expected to reach USD 37.94 billion by 2027 from USD 14.12 billion in 2019. This may be attributed to the rising geriatric population and burden of chronic diseases.

The disease management software is used to manage, monitor, and process patient data by connecting to electronic health record (EHR) and other healthcare data sources. It aims to reduce healthcare costs and promote government initiatives to assist patient-centric care. The high growth in this segment can be attributed to the ability of these solutions to reduce the cost of care with the help of protocol management and prevent episodes of ill health through comprehensive health management.

To be included in Disease Management Software category, a product must have the following characteristics as mentioned in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Characteristics of Disease Management Software

Some of the examples of disease management software are mentioned in Figure 3.

Figure 3: Examples of Disease Management Software

Mobile Health Apps for Disease Management

Due to widespread use of smart phones and tablet computers, disease management via mobile health apps is easy and is expanding rapidly. Around 3.7 billion apps were downloaded in 2017 and is expected to grow by 16% within the next year. Many apps are available in play store and iTunes for clinical disease management and patient self-management of conditions including asthma, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and even autism and insomnia. These apps help both doctors and patients as money can be saved by patients and doctors can save on labour force. Some of the apps for chronic disease management are mentioned in Figure 4.

Figure 4: Examples of Disease Management Applications

Poor Usage of Disease Management Software’s and Mobile Apps

One of the reasons why the healthcare apps or software’s fail is because of the lack of understanding about the healthcare apps. Most of the health care apps get uninstalled either due to the highly scientific content which is difficult for the laymen to understand. Apps with very basic scientific content also fail to impress the audience. Therefore, it essential to involve a medical writer who has a scientific background and knows the subject comprehensively. The content for such software’s or apps must be developed based on patient’s requirement, target audience and should be specific to a region.

Role of Medical writing in Developing Health Related Software’s and Mobile Apps

According to Grand View Research, global medical writing industry is expected to reach USD 3.75 billion by 2026. Medical writers are involved in analysis and reporting of retrospective and prospective clinical trials, research methods (descriptive and predictive), health economics, and evaluation of disease management initiatives. Medical writers also play a key role in developing applications for mobile devices that are used in multiple ways, such as:

  • Disease management
  • Continuing education and training
  • Medical reference and information-gathering
  • Practice management and monitoring

The medical writer creates informational or instructional materials for use in health or medical context. These materials allow different audiences to understand health and medical situations or practices, perform certain health or medical-related activities, or use a health/ medical product/ mobile health apps or device. Medical writers must have the following skills to develop medical content:

  • They must possess medical and therapeutic knowledge, and must have understanding about the recent regulations and technical guidelines
  • They must have mastery in language and grammar, proof reading and editing skills, ethical and legal issues related to writing
  • They must have creative writing skills to articulate the scientific information in clear and approachable language
  • As scientific writers are involved in creating content for mobile medical apps and other disease management software’s, it is essential for them to possess instructional designing skills

Writer Groups Initiative in Developing Disease Management Programs

The heterogeneity of disease management programs has made it difficult to compare and evaluate different programs. The American Heart Association’s Disease Management Taxonomy Writing Group developed a taxonomy or system of classification to classify and compare different disease management programs and to inform efforts to identify specific factors associated with effectiveness.

The writers did a MEDLINE (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online) search on the terms heart failure, diabetes, and depression, together with disease management, case management, and care management. English articles published between the time period 1987 and 2005 were considered for the program. The following studies were considered:

  • Interventions designed to improve outcomes and/or reduce medical resource utilization in patients with,
  1. Heart failure
  2. Diabetes
  3. Depression
  • Clearly defined protocols with at least two prespecified components traditionally associated with disease management

A taxonomy was developed by the writer’s group with eight domains. A graphic representation of the taxonomic structure and subdomains are found in the Figure 5.

Figure 5: Taxonomic Structure and Subdomains

Turacoz Healthcare Solutions understands its professional responsibility and takes an initiative to make authors and medical writers aware about their role in developing disease management programs. Turacoz is a medical communication company that provides scientific/medical writing support to the industry and academicians.

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INNOVATIONS IN PEER-REVIEW

Publication Writing, , , , , , , , ,

Peer Review is the process of evaluation of manuscripts submitted for scientific publication in journals/books, pre-clinical or clinical study reports, research progress reports etc., by experts or peers with similar competence as manuscript authors. It plays a pivotal role in scholarly publications with objective to ascertain quality, reliability and credibility of the work reported in the manuscripts and reports through qualitative scrutiny. This contributes to the acceptability of scientific work as authentic, rigorous and coherent for the intended purpose. Also, it widens networking opportunities within the scientific fraternity.

Types of Peer Review

  • Single blind review: This is the traditional and most common type of review in which the reviewer’s name is hidden from the author.
  • Double-blind review: In this kind of review, there is anonymity of both the author and the reviewer to each other.
  • Open review: The identity of the author and the reviewer are known to each other and there is more transparent communication during the review process.

Peer-review is a golden practice to improve the quality of publications but comes with its own set of disadvantages and shortcomings. Table 1 details the various featural pros and cons of different types of peer-review.

Table 1 Advantages and Disadvantages of Peer-Reviewing [1]

Ethics of Peer Review

As the reviewing experts are essentially from the same area or field of the study as of the authors of documents under review, some conflict of interests or differences in viewpoints may introduce bias that might come in the way of a fair peer review. For instance, a reviewer may not accept the manuscript/report under review if the author’s hypothesis is different from that of the reviewer. Indeed, many journals take this possibility into account and allow the authors submitting manuscripts to give the name(s) of reviewers to whom the manuscript should not be sent for review in addition to names of reviewers the authors would like to recommend. But then, peer review by reviewers recommended by the authors may also occasionally lead to undeservingly favored evaluation.

To avoid undesirable contentions, it is a prerogative for a peer-reviewer to adhere to ethical guidelines outlined by the Committee of Publication Ethics (COPE), which categorises the ethical responsibility of a peer-review into confidentiality of the data reviewed, objectivity of the review process and diligence towards their competency, following processes, policies and conduct [6].

A few ethical practices that should be incorporated in peer-reviewing are as follows:

  • Maintaining objectivity and diligence in assessing a document
  • Avoiding any favoritism or likewise, negative bias
  • Respecting confidentiality of the manuscript
  • Avoiding giving any personal or derogatory remarks
  • Refraining from disrespectful tone of criticism
  • Maintaining timeliness
  • Adhering to the rationales, norms, policies and specific scope of the journal
  • Promptly reporting any unethical duplication or data fabrication/design
  • Staying discrete from the author during the review process to avoid any unwanted confrontation

Essential Components of Peer-Reviewing

Studies conducted by scientists/experts/professional are rendered into a detailed article or manuscript, a draft of which is then sent to the journal editor. The article is sent by the journal editor to peer reviewers before publication. The reviewers then assess the manuscript and extend their comments focusing on the following aspects:

  • Adequacy of the background information (literature survey) justifying the necessity and purpose of the study reported
  • Appropriateness and adequacy of the materials and methods employed to generate the data
  • Compliance to national and international regulatory requirements [e.g. Good Laboratory/Manufacturing/Clinical Practices (GLP/GMP/GCP), Animal ethics, OECD/ICH/USFDA guidelines etc.]
  • Analysis of data using appropriate (statistical) methods
  • Proper interpretation and discussion of the data/results and the conclusions drawn.
  • Originality of the study
  • Presentation of the manuscript relying on legible and comprehendible language that is grammatically, technically and scientifically correct

Innovations in Peer Review

Any advancement or innovation in a process primarily requires recognition of the prevalent roadblocks. “Necessity is the mother of invention”, Plato’s misattributed proverb reflects the rationale of some compelling advancements that peer-reviewing attributes to the share of challenges it had faced.” Addressing some fundamental conundrums, there are many driven groups across the scientific fraternity who have offer valuable innovative answers.

  • Raising the satisfaction quotient of the author-reviewer-editor trilogy by ‘Volunpeers’

Lack of familiarity with the subject matter causes many reviewers to decline from reviewing. To overcome this challenge, the journal of Molecular biology enabled a Reviewer Recognition Platform, that facilitates reviewers, christened as ‘Volunpeers’ (to represent the rationale of this platform), to register for their area of expertise and receive manuscripts for reviewing according to their preference. The outcome of this platform was impressive! It proudly flaunted a high rate of involvement and satisfaction from both the reviewer and the editor and establishes a faith that peer reviewing indeed has not reached an intimidating stagnancy. Figure 1 indicates the promisingly positive impacts of Volunpeer-ing on various critical aspects [2].

Figure 1: Impact of Peer-Reviewing through the Reviewer Recognition Platform ‘Volunpeer’
  • Expediting the process of review and making it less cumbersome and time‑consuming

The dichotomy of time versus quality lead many to attempt to address long and tiresome process of reviewing. Recently, The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery (JBJS) has initiated below mentioned tiny steps to upgrade their overall peer-review process [3].

  • Automated and weekly reminder emails to editors
  • Weekly reminder emails for editor queue statistics
  • Monthly emails delineating acceptance rates and transfer rates by editor
  • Shortened deadlines for peer-reviewing
  • Addition of manuscript Xtract in Editorial Manager that reduces manual entry for basic data like manuscript title, author-names, abstract and affiliations
  • Refining the review process by spotting errors and maintaining quality standards of review

The quality of any manuscript proportions directly to the errors established during review and editing process. A keen study conducted on ‘Improving the peer-review process and editorial quality by studying key errors escaping the review and editorial process in top scientific journals [4]. Figure 1 shows the common trend of errors encountered during review.

Figure 1: Proportion and types of errors during review/editing process [4]

The recognition of these error-patterns led to the application of a novel mistake index, independent of the journal’s impact factor. Mistake Index Total (MIT) represented the fraction of corrections published by total number of items published in a year and Mistake Index Paper (MIP) represented the fraction of corrections published by the total number of papers (categorised by articles) published in a year. These were then statistically analysed and applied on scientific journals of diverse disciplines to determine the type, rate of occurrence and severity of errors encountered. It is hence recommended that a detailed guideline based upon MIT and MIP be provided to reviewers, authors and editors, which can help them minimise error redundancy, reduce time-to-correction and reinforce quality of published manuscripts [4].

  • Ensuring recruitment of competent reviewers and providing visibility, value and appreciation for their efforts by R-index

On a more humane level, getting good reviewers and providing visibility, value and appreciation for their efforts stays a huge contributing factor to optimising the quality and efficiency of peer-review. Lack of recognition of time and valuable expertise of the reviewer often is a big dampener for review quality. A simple yet cutting-edge R-index (Reviewer index), has emerged as an essential metric to quantify and credit a scientist’s contribution as a reviewer, regardless of his/her stage of career. Based on the list of reviewers for any particular journal, number of papers reviewed, total number of words against the journal’s impact factor, and eventually fostered by the editor’s feedback on individual review, a score ranging from 0 to 1 is credited to the reviewers. Widely being accepted and implemented, this index is open doors to a wider academic productivity and increased transparency within the scientific community and works reciprocally towards maintaining and enhancing the quality of reviewing [5].

Conclusion

With a fair share of recognition as well as criticism that it comes with, peer-review is undoubtedly an essential component of the publication world. Although an overall positive impact and effectiveness of peer review mechanism to improve upon quality in biomedical journals has been observed in clinical trial and other comparative study publications, it is still difficult to ascertain its tangible impact, considering the aforesaid challenges [7]. Nevertheless, the brighter side shows that the existing peer-review paradigm is inevitably treading towards innovations; profoundly embedded into the process of scientific progress, its indispensable purpose gives reasons enough to boost its operations and we hope to witness more streamlining, transparency, efficiency, robustness and inventive tableaus in its modus operandi.

Turacoz Healthcare Solutions aims to provide information on the latest trends, updates and advances to help researchers stay abreast of important innovations in peer-review in the field of scientific publications. Turacoz Healthcare provides an end-to-end support for scientific communications, clinical trial documents and disclosures, regulatory documents writing and submissions, and medico-marketing writing along with e-modules & e-books on healthcare and research.

Reference

  1. https://www.elsevier.com/en-in/reviewers/what-is-peer-review
  2. https://www.elsevier.com/connect/reviewers-update/innovation-in-peer-review-introducing-volunpeers
  3. https://www.csescienceeditor.org/article/new-innovations-in-peer-review/
  4. https://peerj.com/articles/1670/
  5. https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsos.140540
  6. https://www.aje.com/arc/ethics-peer-review/
  7. https://www.bmj.com/content/349/bmj.g4145

Financial Disclosures in Medical Publishing

Medical Publishing, , , , ,

Introduction

Financial disclosures enable the readers to evaluate the potential conflict of interest (COI) which probably builds the trust of transparency in the medical publishing’s.

Importance

The financial disclosures are made available to the readers either in the published article or by posting the submitted financial disclosure forms online along with the published article. It allows the readers to evaluate the author disclosure with COI and analyze the financial aspect of the published material. Furthermore, it allows one to interpret the information provided in the article accordingly in the gleam of all those disclosures.

Consequences

  • Many scientific journals and funding agencies have adopted and regularized it for the authors to disclose all finance related interests to improve the uprightness of science and manage all COIs. The complete disclosure removes the inkling of hiding some relevant information regarding the object.
  • It allows the reader to draft their own opinion on whether a COI exists and what significant association it has with the study.
  • Readers and editors easily recognize that several nonfinancial forms of bias, may it be executive, cognitive, competition at academic level, or discriminatory based on personal confront can affect a study or the reviews.

Over the past few decades, only the financial disclosure has emerged as an attainable goal among the above stated, but the process has not been perfected either in concept or practice.

The financial disclosure remains a debatable topic in field of medicine with some finding the requested reporting burdensome and others still unsatisfied that declaration is pellucid, at its best.

Turacoz Healthcare Solutions, a medical communication company providing medical writing services, understands the significance of financial disclosures in medical publishing.

Turacoz provides services like scientific writing, publication writing, regulatory writing, clinical trial writing support, pharmacovigilance support, etc.

To know more about the services and to seek help, you can write us at [email protected]

New Drugs For HIV: Making An Impact On HIV Treatment

Drugs and Disease, , , , , , , ,

The global statistics for HIV/AIDS 2017 have revealed that around 37 million people across the globe were affected by HIV, out of which 1.8 million were children. 1.8 million new cases of HIV were registered in 2017, making it about 5,000 new cases per day.

Around 75% of the total people affected by HIV were aware of their condition, whereas the rest 25% were yet to be examined. HIV screening is very important and crucial for its prevention and treatment. 21.7 million HIV positive people, globally, were having the access to antiretroviral therapy (ART).

Though the deaths due to AIDS have been reduced by 51 %, globally, there is still a lot to be done for this condition. Till date, we have no cure for HIV. There are various advancements in the drugs for HIV treatment, but there hasn’t anything been invented yet that can cure HIV forever. In such a case, every new drug invented and approved is a ray of hope for many HIV patients worldwide.

New drugs approval for HIV:

Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration gave its approval to two new drugs developed for treating HIV-1, the most common form of the virus.

Over the decades, this disease has been researched upon and understood by various scientists and efforts have been made to find treatment for the same. This approval signifies the potential and improvement in the treatment of the ailment and states that the options for treating the condition have now increased.

Known drug manufacturer, Merck, announced that FDA have approved the two new antiretroviral drugs- Delstrigo & Pifeltro.

These oral medications are targeted toward those adult HIV patients who have not been exposed to antiretroviral treatments before. These medications aren’t meant for the patients who have been previously receiving the antiretroviral treatments.

The approval for these drugs was granted posted the successful phase 3 clinical trial of these 2 drugs. The trial involved 700 participants for each drug. Both the medicines had same side effect of reducing the cholesterol levels.

People with HIV are now living longer life and with the recent statistics it can be inferred that very soon HIV positive people will live longer than 50 years. In such situation they are most likely to be exposed to issues like high cholesterol. So, in such conditions, the side effects of these drugs can prove beneficial as they lower down the cholesterol.

No single drug is effective for HIV patients. So, people who are looking forward to these drugs must consult their doctor beforehand to figure out the most suited treatment for them.

Choosing a certain drug or treatment regimen depends highly on various factors such as other medical issues faced by the patient, possible side effects and drug interactions. As more and more drug being available for the treatment, customized treatments can be generated keeping in mind patient’s condition.

The complexity of HIV/AIDS is still highly misunderstood by people in general and a lot is yet to be done in treatment of HIV.

Turacoz Healthcare Solutions hopes that more and even better drugs will be manufactured in near future which will make a positive impact on the treatment of HIV/AIDS and hopes that the new drugs manufactured will help in treating HIV and benefit HIV positive people.

Being a medical communication company, Turacoz wishes for HIV positive people to live a long and healthy life. Turacoz offers medical writing services like clinical trial support, pharmacovigilance support, regulatory writing, etc. and is updated on the recent advancements in the treatment of various diseases.

To know more, write us at [email protected]

Myths about HIV/AIDS: Busted

Awareness Day/Month, , , , ,

Ever since HIV/AIDS is discovered, there have been lots of rumors surrounding it. This article aims at busting those myths and presenting the fact.

HIV-Human Immunodeficiency Virus attacks the immune system of human body and makes a person weaker and increases his disability to fight against diseases. This is caused by having unprotected sex with a HIV positive person and using shared needles/syringes for injecting drugs.

There are various myths about HIV. Let’s have a look at them and then get aware of the reality:

  • You can get HIV by being around a HIV positive individual: This is the most popular rumor surrounding this situation, that you can get affected by HIV by staying around a person who suffers from this disease.

Fact: You cannot get affected by HIV by shaking hands, touching, hugging, kissing or sitting together with a HIV positive person. The HIV virus transfers to your body through vaginal fluids, semen and blood of a HIV positive person.

  • HIV is caused by mosquito and insect bites: Another popular myth which says that if a mosquito bites a HIV positive person and bites you too, then you can also get HIV.

Fact: One cannot get HIV from any mosquito or insect bites. Mosquitoes never inject blood in your body, not does any other insect.

  • You cannot live long, if diagnosed with HIV: A common misconception is that if you have HIV than your life is cut-short or say is over. You will die soon.

Fact: HIV does not mean that your life is over. When it came into knowledge, there were any deaths due to it because there was nothing that we knew about this disease. But today, a lot is known about it. Though there is no fix cure for this, but still, there are certain treatments and therapies that help control the damage HIV does to your body. If one follows proper therapy and takes daily doses, one can live a normal, healthy and long life.

  • Having sex with a HIV positive person will get you HIV: Another myth, that says, if you become physically intimate with a person who is HIV positive, you can also get affected by the virus.

Fact: It is very important to understand that how HIV spreads, what are the risk factors and the preventative measures. By using quality condoms, you can lower down the risk of transmission of this virus. Practicing safe sex is the key to stay away from getting infected with this virus.

  • A woman affected by HIV will pass it on to her baby: This myth states that a HIV positive woman will pass on this virus to her baby during pregnancy and the baby with be HIV positive too.

Fact: This can only be possible in the case where no proper measures are taken to prevent the baby from the virus. A HIV positive woman can prevent her baby from getting infected by taking proper treatments at the right time. There are some treatments available that ensure safer deliver of child and keep him/her virus-free.

  • There is no need for condom if you use HIV Prevention Pill: A myth that says, one does not need to use condoms if he/she is taking a PrEP.

Fact: PrEP (HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis) is a technique through which the use of a regular antiretroviral pills can lower down the risk of getting infected by HIV by as much as 92%. But this does not state that the condoms should not be used at all. It is always good to stay on the safer side.

  • One can stop using condoms if he has an undetectable virus: A myth that says if you have suppressed your viruses to an undetectable level, you should quit using condoms.

Fact: It is true to a certain extent that a person who has suppressed his viruses completely such that they become undetectable, is less likely to transmit the virus. But this doesn’t ensure that there aren’t any factors that can increase or reduce the risk individually.

  • We are on the verge of curing HIV/AIDS: Another false claim that the cure for HIV is about to be discovered.

Fact: There are numerous researches going on and a lot has been understood on this disease. Advances are being made but we are not yet close to disclosing the cure for it. Till date, this disease has no permanent cure and only certain drugs are available which can help control the damage.

  • Straight men and the ones who do not take IV drugs cannot get HIV: Misconception that only gays can get affected by this virus called HIV.

Fact: Though men involved in homosexual sex are more likely to develop HIV, heterosexual contact can also get you affected. Around 3 in 4 women and 1 out of 6 men have this situation.

  • You cannot have children if you’re HIV positive: A very common misconception stating that a HIV positive cannot conceive and extend family.

Fact: It is not necessary that you will not be able to have children if HIV positive. There are certain ways and treatments that can help you conceive. Though HIV is a sexually transmitted disease, there are various options you can consider for conceiving, depending on which partner is HIV positive.

Turacoz Healthcare Solutions aims at spreading awareness regarding HIV/AIDS and debunk any myths or misconceptions surrounding it and make people understand the reality.

Turacoz is a medical communication company and provide services like medical writing, regulatory writing, publication writing,  pharmacovigilance, etc. So, being related to pharma industry, we believe in raising awareness among masses for certain diseases and help them in knowing the truth.

To avail our services or for any query or help, you can contact us at:

[email protected]

Significance of Publication Planning

Publication Writing, , , ,

Publication planning is that part of the pharmaceutical landscape that ensures that data from pharma companies (clinical trials, commentaries on drug/device class, and other publications supporting the efficacy of drug/device) is disseminated through medical journal articles–an important aspect of pharma companies’ overall marketing strategy. To publish a mix of editorials, primary and secondary publication, and review papers is the goal of efficient publication planning. Strategic publication planning can maximize product visibility throughout its life cycle. The launch of new drug/device in the market can be successful if the key clinical messages reach the target audience at the right time, for which publication planning is essential. The most successful drugs launched in the last 10-15 years have ridden on the back of a very well-implemented publication strategies. Overall, publication planning aids in the accurate reporting of scientific research, thereby promoting ethical transparency at every stage of medical research through the involvement of investigators, journal editors, and publication professionals.

An effective publication planning team is the key to an efficient publication plan. It is the publication planning team that creates a proactive plan to deliver client‑focused solutions and enable strategic planning and timely implementation of the publication plan. The first step in a publication plan is a “GAP analysis”, which can identify gaps in the literature. Thereafter, the team does an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) comprising product strengths, weaknesses, market opportunities, and market threats to understand which areas need maximum focus during implementation of the publication plan. For example, if the product in question has more safety issues compared to its competitors, then the publications would mostly be aimed to showcase that the safety concerns are unfounded. The publication planning team also analyzes the Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR) related to the product and various competitors available in the market. In addition, it is the responsibility of the publication planning team to discuss issues related to authorship and data interpretation, and to ensure all the professionals involved in the publication process meet scientific and ethical standards. A good publication planner gets the best key opinion leaders (KOLs), study investigators, and a publication agency (if needed) to write the papers. This allows authors to concentrate only on scientific discussion, and not on logistical issues. Moreover, it encourages transparent communication between researchers and contributors.

There are also a few ethical issues that the publication planning team needs to deal with. These are shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Ethical issues relating to publication planning

Apart from ethical considerations the publication strategy team should know the audience; whether they intend to reach out to primary-care physicians, specialists, allied health specialists, managed care specialists, hospital pharmacists, retail pharmacists, formulary managers, and calibrate their publication plan accordingly. Based on this, they should select the journals for publication. Although publishing in a top-tier journals is prestigious, and adds substantially to a product’s first impression, it should be balanced against the length of time to publication. Prestige cannot make up for a publication that arrives too late. Early publication planning helps to ensure both goals are achieved. Finally, ensuring that a publication coincides with important meetings is an important part of efficient publication planning. This can ensure that the medical representatives at these scientific meetings have evidence to back their claims regarding the drugs/devices they are promoting.

With new guidelines such as GPP3 in place, there is an increased scrutiny on publication planning. Therefore, understanding good publication practices for providing structure and ethical implementation of the publication plan are important.

Turacoz Healthcare Solutions (THS), a medical communication company, offers services to healthcare professionals in clinical research, regulatory writing, medico marketing writing, publication writing and support for conducting medical advisory board meetings. Turacoz understands the importance of a good publication which is in line with the new GPP3 guidelines. We follow the same updated guidelines for all our publications and comply with all legal, ethical and regulatory requirements. To know more about our specialization, please do visit our services section.

Ghostwriting in Medical Literature

Medical Writing, , , ,

With the advances in medical technology and innovations in field of medical sciences and drug development, there has been widespread increase in scientific research papers. These scientific papers not only add volume to the medical literature, but also greatly impact the decision making of doctors and regulatory authorities. Doctors might make decisions pertaining to treatment planning based on the updated information available. Regulatory authorities, on the other hand, use this literature for drug approval process or for formulating new policies. Thus, it is important that the scientific articles should be written and published in an ethical manner and should uncover all the advantages and disadvantages/side effects of newer treatment modalities/drugs so that the medical literature is free from bias.

Concept of Ghostwriting

Ghostwriting in medical literature is an awful breach to the ethics in dissemination of information obtained from scientific/medical research. This practice of ghostwriting has widely attracted the attention of medical writers and scientific community and has been greatly criticized by them. Ghostwriters are the ones who are hired by pharmaceutical companies for drafting scientific articles for purpose of marketing their product. Such papers incorporate good effects of product while making exaggerated promises and omit its side effects that might adversely affect its usage/ approval/marketing. The articles written in this manner are credited with the authorship of physicians and academicians in the field to enhance the credibility of given information projecting the same as an unbiased source.

As per a review paper by Górski A et al in 2010, approximately 10% of papers published in reputed journals were estimated to be ghostwritten. Furthermore, this rate was suggested to be even higher for some of the medical specialties. Ghostwriters have been defined by The International Society for Medical Publication Professionals as “individuals who contribute substantially to a medical publication but do not appear on the byline and are not acknowledged for their contribution.”

Concept of Authorship

Authorship makes a person/writer accountable for the published information. The onus of the integrity of information presented in the paper lies on its authors. A person/writer is considered an author as per ICMJE guidelines (available at http://www.icmje.org/) if he has substantial intellectual contribution towards the research or content of publication. For being an author to a document, one must fulfill four important authorship criteria. First criterion is substantial contribution to work either in form of its conception and design, data acquisition or its analysis and interpretation. Secondly, the author should have either drafted the manuscript or made critical revisions necessary for its intellectual content. Thirdly, the final version of the paper to be published should have been approved by the individual to qualify as an author. Lastly, the accuracy or integrity of the work should have been adequately investigated by the authors and issues if any should have been resolved by them. The European Medical Writers Association (EMWA) guidelines clearly state that a medical writers can be listed as an author, if they fulfils the authorship criteria; otherwise they must be acknowledged for their work.

Medical Writing vs. Ghostwriting

Medical writing is a dignified professional service provided by the medical writers from diverse fields of life sciences having a background knowledge of medical and allied sciences. Medical writing services can be utilized by pharmaceutical companies, researchers, doctors, and academicians as a process to disseminate their workloads thereby preventing wastage of research resources. It has been estimated that 6% of all papers in medical literature are developed by the help of medical writers and are based on studies sponsored by “nonprofit organizations”. Professional medical writers with their skills and expertise, can support the research by collating data, analyzing and interpreting it, and presenting the results in a clear and concise manner. They can provide intellectual help by writing publication manuscripts. Additionally, they can be hired by pharmaceutical companies for developing regulatory documents required for drug approval or research protocols, clinical trials and their results etc. In addition, professional medical writers can be hired for writing publication documents like original research articles, review papers, consensus statements, expert opinions, and clinical practice guidelines etc. While medical writers are hired for their skill, efficiency, speed, and expertise in the field, ghostwriting is perceived by scientific community as an intent to deceive.

Acknowledgement of Writing Services as a Solution to Ghostwriting

Acknowledgement of contribution by medical writers to the document/paper is believed to be the best method to tackle problematic ghostwriting in medical literature. Considering this, numerous journal’s, editor’s and medical writer’s associations including ICMJE, World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), EMWA, and American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) allows professional medical writers to contribute to the writing of papers even if they are not listed as authors provided their role is adequately acknowledged along with the funding source to receive these services, to improve transparency. Thus, medical writers can legitimately contribute to manuscripts and their contribution should be adequately acknowledged as recommended by ICMJE, EMWA, and AMWA. Ideally, the acknowledgement should reveal the necessary information to maintain transparency viz. name of the aiding writer and name of the person/company/organization who funded for the writing assistance.

It is the responsibility of authors to ensure that the medical writers whose help was sought while preparing manuscript do not remain as ghosts in the underworld. Instead, they should be brought into light by giving them adequate acknowledgment.

Turacoz Healthcare Solutions understands its professional responsibility and take an initiative to make authors and medical writers aware about drawbacks of ghostwriting and method of acknowledging dignified professional services. Turacoz is a medical communication company that provides scientific/medical writing support to the industry and academicians.

Health Economics and Outcome Research

Publication Writing, , , , , , , , ,

Health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) activities comprise of Pharmacoeconomics (PE) research and health technology assessment (HTA) activities. Health economics (HE) is applied to analyze the economic aspects of health and healthcare, with focus on the costs and consequences of healthcare interventions.

PE, a sub-discipline of HE, provides a comparative value assessment between two pharmaceutical products or treatment mix. Outcome research (OR) helps in evaluating the effect of healthcare interventions on patient-related clinical, humanistic, and economic outcomes.

Thus, HEOR is a discipline that helps the stakeholders to fully understand the product value and its potential in real-world clinical practice. In healthcare industry, the stakeholders and payer rely on HEOR to gain market access and remain competitive. For this, pharmaceutical and medical technology manufactures provide clinical development information (i.e. efficacy, safety and quality) and economic evidences to guide decision makers regarding patient access to specific drugs and services. These evidences help in determining whether the treatment is effective in the populations they serve.

Sources of HEOR Evidence

To generate outcomes to monitor and evaluate healthcare services, we need to collect evidences from different sources which can be further used for decision-making processes. These evidences can be collected from different sources as shown in Figure 1:

Health Economics and Outcome Research 2

Figure 1: Sources of health economics and outcome research (HEOR) evidence

Need of HEOR Evidences

The HEOR evidences are helpful in identifying unmet needs and addressing evidence gaps. The real-world data can be used to determine primary randomized control trial (RCT) endpoints (e.g. laboratory test results) which is considered as the most relevant clinical outcomes for physicians and healthcare decision makers. These evidences also help in promoting the patient-centered research and helps in developing and evaluating the cost containment strategies.

Tools for HEOR

There are several approaches which can be applied to the collected evidences through which a meaningful outcome can be achieved. Below are some tools which are used to analyze data.

  • Exploratory Data Assessment
  • Epidemiology study
  • Cost-benefit Analysis (CBA)
  • Cost of Illness Analysis
  • Budget Impact Model (BIM)
  • Cost-effectiveness Analysis (CEA)
  • Satisfaction Assessment
  • HRQL Analysis
  • Assessment of Analysis Compliance and Persistence
  • Market Assessment
  • Pricing Strategy

Types of Outcomes

Generally, the outcomes are of three types namely, clinical outcomes, economic outcomes and humanistic outcomes.

Health Economics and Outcome Research-2Today there is increased emphasis on HEOR activities due to the growing power of payers in the healthcare decision-making. This has led to HEOR professionals covering all aspects of drug development to ensure they have the right data and analysis. This growing importance of HEOR is reflected in the phenomenal increase in the field-based HEOR professionals employed by the pharma companies.

Turacoz Healthcare Solution (THS) aim to deliver the best quality and guideline compliant documents to the pharma and different sectors of healthcare industry. We are dedicated in providing scientific/medical writing support to the industry and academia. With expertise in several clinical trial related documents like Investigator Brochures (IBs), Protocols, Clinical Study Reports (CSRs) Prescribing Information (PI), and Common Technical Documents (CTDs). We also provide services for health economics and outcome research.

Maintaining Work-Life Balance for Healthy and Fulfilling Life

HR, , , , , ,

People have argued about the concept of “Work-Life Balance” for decades and it implies something distinctive to everybody. Some might think that the balance is achieved when they can leave work early enough to eat dinner with family. While others might view it as having a flexible schedule, so that they can incorporate their other interests along with work like studying part-time. Yet some others might feel fulfilled spending their “free” time progressing their career.

‘Work-life balance’ is the term used to describe the balance that an individual need between time allocated for work and other aspects of life. The saying goes that ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’.

Achieving Optimal Work-Life Balance

It can be challenging to attain a great work-life balance, particularly when organizations downsize, and individuals are anticipated to take on additional assignments, or when your obligations at domestic front conflict with those at work.

The methodologies underneath can assist you achieve a balance. A few of them may suit you way better than others, so choose the ones you think will work best for you.

Here are a few ways to improve your work-life balance:

1. Work-Life Balance does not mean an equal balance, there is no ‘perfect’ balance.

When we hear “work-life balance,” we probably envision waking up early, going for work-out, getting meal, heading off to work, have lunch, come home early, cook dinner, and retiring to bed by 9 PM with a nice book and going off to sleep by 10 PM. however, that’s often not the case.

Trying to schedule equal number of hours for work and personal activities is usually unrewarding and unrealistic. Life is and ought to be more fluid than that. We should not strive for the perfect schedule but, for a realistic one. Some days, you might focus more on work, while other days you might have more time and energy to pursue your hobbies or relax with your loved ones. Balance is achieved over time and not every day.

2. Be productive at work

The more productive and efficient you are at work, the simpler it is for you to go home at a sensible time.

Make sure you like your job. If you hate what you are doing, you aren’t going to be happy and content. You don’t have to love every aspect of your work, but it needs to be exciting enough that you don’t fear getting out of bed every single morning.

3. Prioritize your health.

Prioritizing your health, will make you a better employee and individual in true sense. Your overall wellbeing should be your fundamental concern. In the event you’ve been struggling with anxiety or depression and you think any treatment would benefit you, fit those sessions into your schedule, even if you need to leave work early or take time off from other activities.

4. Flexibility

Flexibility plays a vital role in maintaining a good work-life balance. Research has shown that people who believe they have flexible jobs look more favorably on their work-life balance than those with the same workload but with no perceived flexibility. It also found that team members who think their jobs are flexible do longer hours before their workload has a negative effect on them.

Another research came to similar conclusions: you are more likely to stay and feel satisfied in your job if you have access to flexible working arrangements.

Ask your boss to permit more flexibility in your schedule. Perhaps, you could work from home occasionally, come in and leave early, or have some flexibility with your working hours. Job sharing, when two people split the responsibilities of one role, is another well-known option.

5. Finding time for yourself

Work-life balance means having time for yourself as well. While your work is important, it shouldn’t be your whole life. You should prioritize work, activities or hobbies that make you happy.

The people and the work that you love deserve your best, and you can only give it when you stay healthy and look after yourself.

To bring more balance in your life, review how you spend your time, identify and eliminate low-value tasks and try to put more efforts on activities that you believe will make difference. Be flexible and add flexibility to your schedule. Discover the reason and fulfillment in whatever work you do.

Turacoz Healthcare Solutions understands the significance and importance of maintaining a perfect work-life balance and supports its each employee to ensure that they stay stress-free and enjoy their work without their personal lives being hampered. We also urge every working individual to take charge in achieving the same. Let us all pledge to bring in the perfect blend of personal and professional life.

IMRAD in Original Research Articles

Health & Fitness, , ,

IMRAD is nothing but the acronym used for the 4 basic sections of an original research article, namely Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. Any original article must include these 4 essential parts. Diagrammatic representation of IMRAD is depicted in Figure 1. Each of these sections are designed to answer certain questions as described below.

Introduction – Why was the study carried out? What is the specific question to be answered? What is already known, and what is being sought? What is the specific objective?

Introduction must be written in present tense. It must start with broad topics and gradually narrow down to the precise study topic. Thus, this section must provide the background information, set the stage for the article, and build-up the reader’s interest. It must highlight how the study intends to fill-in the existing gaps and what it will add to the current knowledge that already exists.

                                                                                          Figure 1. Diagrammatic Representation of IMRAD

Methods – When, where, and how was the study conducted?

Methods must be written in past tense. This section must clearly describe how the study was designed and carried out, what was the sample, and how it was collected. Procedures conducted must be described comprehensively in a chronological order. The methods section must describe the outcomes being evaluated in the order of their relevance to the research question. Statistical analysis methods used must also be described here. Methods must be presented such that the process could be reproducible.

Results – What was found?

Results must be written in past tense. This is the most important part of any research article as it provides answers to the questions asked in introduction section. Results must be presented in a simple structured way so that they are easy to read and understand. Tables and figures must be included to present the results. If required, results can be organized in subsections. All outcomes must be reported in this section in the same order in which they have been mentioned in the methods section of the article. Results must be only reported in this section and not interpreted or discussed. Specific statistical data such as p-values must be included.

Discussion –

What do the results mean? How do the results compare with the existing published literature? What are the implications and future directions?

Discussion must be written in both present and past tense. Established knowledge must be written in past tense and discussion of current results must be written in present tense. This is the most difficult section to write as the author must put everything together in a comprehensive way and should attempt to draw conclusions from the results obtained. Results must be discussed here with an emphasis on the most significant observations. These observations must then be compared with previously published similar studies. Strengths and limitations of the study must be mentioned. Some speculative discussion can be included, which can serve as the source for future research.

Discussion section can be followed by conclusion section where the overall findings can be summarized succinctly.

We, at Turacoz Healthcare Solutions (THS), provide customized medical communication support. Our wing, Turacoz Skill Development Program (TSDP), provides training solutions in various forms to help the healthcare and pharma professionals improve their skills. Although medical writing is a skill and one gets better at it only by practice, equipping oneself with certain basic tools would be a very good start. Here, we share the basic concept of IMRAD in original research articles, which will help budding writers to understand the importance of following this structure while developing manuscripts.

 

Ramadan Fasting and Diabetes Management

Health & Fitness, ,

Ramadan is a holy month for Muslims in which consumption of food and drinks, medications, and smoking is forbidden between dawn and dusk. During Ramadan, millions of Muslims fast during the daylight hours. People generally consume only two meals per day during this month, one after sunset (Iftar) and the other before dawn (Suhur). However, this can lead to metabolic changes in the body and can give rise to various health complications, especially in diabetic patients. Although any person who is ill or has some medical condition like diabetes can choose not to fast, it becomes a personal decision. In casediabetic patients choose to fast, they should consult their doctors before starting fasting during Ramadan.

Diabetes is characterized by high blood sugar levels in the body due to insulin deficiency or inability of the body to use insulin properly. Long fasting and fluid restriction during the day can lead to dehydration and fluctuations in sugar levels. These patients can experience any one of the following:

  • Hypoglycemia (lowering of blood sugar levels) due to long fasting hours leading to seizures and loss of consciousness
  • Hyperglycemia (increased blood sugar levels) due to increased food/sugar intake during Iftar and abstaining the use of antidiabetic medications
  • Diabetic ketoacidosis (a life-threatening situation) in patients having high blood glucose levels and taking reduced dosage of insulin during Ramadan
  • Dehydration leading to volume and electrolyte depletion and causing syncope, falls, and injuries

 

Managing Diabetes During Diabetes:

It is very important that patients with diabetes make a personal choice of fasting during Ramadan only after considering their health condition and proper consultation with their physicians. They should be aware of the associated risks and adhere to the doctors’ recommendations in order to have a safe fasting. Diabetic patients should monitor blood glucose levels regularly during Ramadan. If the blood glucose falls below 70 mg/dL, the fast needs to be ended. Checking blood glucose is very important and does not mean breaking the fast. Secondly, dosage of antidiabetic medications need to be modified during Ramadan. That doesn’t mean that a person has to stop taking his medications. Only the doses will be altered based on his sugar levels and current condition.

During Suhur, a diabetic patient should go for healthy breakfast including starchy carbohydrates and some proteins to slow down the digestion and maintaining the feeling of fullness. Breakfast can include: whole grain cereals, some lentils, and low-fat milk. During Iftar, one should drink plenty of fluids, but avoid caffeine and sugar containing beverages. One should not overeat during Iftar and have small meals. Fried food, sweets, and excessive sugar containing foodsshould be avoided.

With proper management plan and regular glucose monitoring, diabetic patients can experience a healthy living and maintain their religious beliefs during the month of Ramadan.

 

HAVE A HAPPY AND HEALTHY RAMADAN!

Turacoz aims to spread the awareness on various healthcare related issues as a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity. Our medical writing team is well-versed with recent advances in various therapeutic areas. We provide support in publication writing, clinical research and regulatory writing, medical advisory board meetings and medical marketing services.

KNOW ABOUT ASTHMA AND ALLERGY!!!

Awareness Day/Month,

The month of May is declared as “National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month” by Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. It is the perfect time to educate people about asthma, its causes, and the ways to lead a normal life with asthma.

Asthma is an episodic yetchronic respiratory disease characterized by recurrent attacks of breathlessness and wheezing due to bronchospasm and inflammation of the airways. It is the most common chronic disease among children. More than 100 million people worldwide are believed to from asthma, of which 15 to 20 millions are Indians. Asthma can influence the quality of life by causing missed school or working days, increased medical expenses, and poor work performance.

Asthma attacks can be mild, moderate, severe, or sometimes life threatening!!!!Shortness of breath, cough, wheezing, chest tightness, andpus-like sputum (in the recovery phase) are some of the symptoms of mild to moderate asthma. Labored and shallow breathing, bluish discoloration of the skin, and loss of consciousness may indicate life-threatening condition.

Allergy and asthma often occur together. Asthma occurring due to allergens is referred to as “allergic asthma”.

How Does Allergy Cause Asthma?

Exposure to allergens causes release of inflammatory cells such as mast cells, eosinophils, and neutrophils in the bronchi and bronchioles leading to inflammation and obstruction of the airways. This leads to increased contractibility of smooth muscles, that further results in narrowing of the airways.

Allergens Causing Asthma:

  • Pollens
  • Dust mites
  • Cockroaches
  • Animal dander
  • Mold
  • Exposure to indoor volatile organic compounds
  • Air pollution

How is Allergic Asthma Managed??

“Prevention is better than cure”, an age old saying holds good for asthma too. Asthma patients are advised to avoid exposure to known allergens and triggering factors. Though there is no cure for asthma till date, the symptoms can be improved by prompt medications. Bronchodilators are recommended for short-term relief, while low-dose inhalational corticosteroids or mast cell stabilizing drugs are recommended for long-term therapy.

Recent studies have revealed that oligonucleotide agents are found to decrease allergen-induced early and late asthmatic response. Infliximab, etanercept and golimumab are found to provide a short-term efficacy in patients with the severe disease.

Can an Asthmatic Patient Lead a Normal Life??

Asthmatic attacks may occur periodically, based on the exposure to triggering factors. However, a few changes in lifestyle can help an asthmatic lead a normal life. Here are a few:

  • Maintaining good physical and mental health
  • Regular intake of medications
  • Regular physician check-ups
  • Keeping distance from the known allergens
  • Avoiding the use of tobacco

Why is it Important to Raise Awareness About Allergy and Asthma?

According to a survey, 51-68% of the patients experiencing severe asthma and 30-61% of patients with moderate symptoms said that they suffer uncontrolled asthma. As most people may be unaware of the causes and triggering factors of asthma, educating people about allergy and asthma may yield a better treatment outcome.

What are the Various Methods to Spread Awareness About Allergy and Asthma in Public?

  • Conducting a questionnaire study about allergic asthma
  • Publishing the articles on allergy and asthma in social media
  • Organizing medical camps to reach rural population
  • Organizing awareness programs in educational institutes
  • Publishing articles in newspapers and arranging for correspondence
  • Organizing lectures about the disease
  • Organizing for a marathon, to create awareness, will help gain enormous public attention

Some Facts About Allergic Asthma

  •  People with food allergy, allergic rhinitis, hypersensitivity, familial history of asthma are at higher risk of developing asthma
  • Once an individual is sensitized to an allergen, a very minor exposure to the allergen may also precipitate the asthmatic attack
  • 50% of people with allergic rhinitis have asthma
  • Actopic eczema is probably the first sign that a future asthmatic patient develops as a child
  • Treating rhinitis may improve the symptoms of asthma, especially cough
  • In children, males are twice as susceptible to asthma than girls, while, after puberty, it is more common in females

Turacoz Healthcare Solutions is passionate to spread the awareness on such social or healthcare related issues as a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity. CSR is at the very heart of everything we do at Turacoz. Our medical writing team is well-versed with recent advances in various therapeutic areas which give them a head start in various publication, clinical research and regulatory writing projects.

World Malaria Day : Understanding Malaria

Awareness Day/Month, , , , , ,

Malaria is a serious life-threatening parasitic disease caused by parasites known as Plasmodium vivax (P.vivax), Plasmodium falciparum (P.falciparum), Plasmodium malariae (P.malariae) and Plasmodium ovale (P.ovale). Its transmission takes place through the infective bite of Anopheles mosquito. Man develops this disease after 10–14 days of being bitten by an infective mosquito.

Every year April 25 is celebrated as “World Malaria Day” across the globe in an effort to provide effective control of the disease. This occasion also provides a common platform for the affected countries to share experiences, showcase technologies and collaborate in programs in the fight against malaria.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF MALARIA

Symptoms of malaria include fever and flu-like illness, including shaking chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may also occur. Malaria may cause anemia and jaundice (yellow coloring of the skin and eyes) because of the loss of red blood cells. Infection with one type of malaria, P. falciparum, if not promptly treated, may cause kidney failure, seizures, mental confusion, coma, and death.

POPULATION AT RISK

In 2015, approximately 3.2 billion people—nearly half of the world’s population—were at risk of malaria.

Maximum number of malaria cases and deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa. However, Asia, Latin America, and, to a lesser degree, the Middle East, are also at risk. In 2015, 97 countries and territories had ongoing malaria transmission.

DISEASE BURDEN

  • According to the latest WHO estimates, released in December 2015, there were 214 million cases of malaria in 2015 and 438,000 deaths.
  • Between 2000 and 2015, malaria incidence among populations at risk reduced by 37% globally; during the same period, malaria mortality rates among populations at risk registered a decline by 60%. An estimated 6.2 million malaria deaths have been averted globally since 2001.
  • Sub-Saharan Africa continues to contributethe highest share of the global malaria burden. In 2015, the region accounted for 88% of malaria cases and 90% of malaria deaths.

PREVENTIVE MEASURES FOR CONTROLLING MALARIA

  • Taking antimalarial drugs to kill the parasites
  • Eliminating places where mosquitoes breed
  • Spraying insecticides to kill adult mosquitoes that come inside
  • Sleeping under bed nets—especially effective if they have been treated with insecticide, e.g. insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs) and
  • Wearing insect repellent and long-sleeved clothing if out of doors at night.

CURRENT SCENARIO OF MALARIA VACCINE

  • Effective malaria vaccine could helpeliminate and eradicate malaria; there are currently 63 vaccine candidates, 41in preclinical and clinical stages of development.
  • Vaccines are being designedto target pre-erythrocytic stages, erythrocytic stage or the sexual stages ofPlasmodium taken up by a feeding mosquito, or the multiple stages
  • Twovaccines in preclinical and clinical development target falciparum; and themost advanced candidate is the pre-erythrocytic vaccine RTS,S which is inphase-III clinical trials.
  • RTS,S/ASO1 is the first malaria vaccine to have completed pivotal Phase 3 testing and obtained a positive scientific opinion by a stringent medicines regulatory authority.
  • Collaborators of RTS,S Clinical Trials Partnership showed that RTS,S/AS01 prevented a substantial number of cases of clinical malaria over a 3–4-year period in young infants and children when administered with or without a booster dose. Efficacy was enhanced by the administration of a booster dose in both age categories. Thus, the vaccine has the potential to make a substantial contribution to malaria control when used in combination with other effective control measures, especially in areas of high transmission.

Turacoz Healthcare Solutions is committed to spread the awareness on such social or healthcare related issues as a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity. Our medical writing team is well versed with recent advances in various therapeutic areas which gives them a head start in various publication, clinical research and regulatory writing projects.

World Parkinson’s Disease Day: Shatter the Myths with Hope

Awareness Day/Month,

World Parkinson’s Disease Day: 11th April, 2016:

World Parkinson’s disease day is celebrated every year on 11th April to commemorate Dr. J Parkinson on his birthday. He was the first to describe the disease in “An Essay on the Shaking Palsy”, as a disorder with a pattern of lessened muscular power and involuntary tremulous motion. On this day, efforts are made to increase the public awareness of this terrible disease.

 

What Is Parkinson’s Disease?

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder which affects the nerve cells in the brain that produce dopamine. As a result, these nerve cells are reduced in numbers. As cell death spreads to larger parts of the brain more centers are affected which results in an aggravated motor and non-motor functional impairments. It is a progressive disorder and the symptoms gradually worsen.

Symptoms of PD begin gradually, often on one side of the body and later, they affect both sides of the body. The disease is characterized by:

  • Trembling of hands, arms, legs, jaw and face
  • Stiffness of the arms, legs and trunk
  • Slowness of movement and trouble in walking and/or talking
  • Poor balance and coordination
  • Sleep problems and depression

People with the disease may have trouble doing simple tasks as the symptoms get worse. They may also have trouble chewing, swallowing, or speaking.

 

Screening and Diagnosis

PD usually begins around age 60, but it can start earlier. It is more common in men than in women. There is no laboratory test for PD, so it can be difficult to diagnose. Doctors use a medical history and a neurological examination to diagnose it. There is no cure for PD

 

Lifestyle Remedies and Health Care Solution

  • Exercise: It may increase your muscle strength, flexibility and balance. Exercise can also improve your well-being and reduce depression or anxiety
  • Medications: They may help you manage problems with walking, movement and tremor. Medications can help control the PD- symptoms by substituting/increasing for dopamine in the brain.
  • Healthy diet: A balanced diet provides nutrition. Foods such as fish which contain omega-3 fatty acids are also recommended for persons with PD.
  • Training for daily activities: An occupational therapist can show techniques that make daily life easier.
  • Be careful while walking: At later stages of the disease, movement can become difficult. Distribute your weight evenly between both feet, and don’t lean. Avoid walking backward.

 

Create Awareness to Find a Cure:

Many people are not fully aware of how to identify PD. In the interest of promoting awareness of this disease, we can:

  • Organize larger events at local parks, or even with local schools for the cause of PD
  • Work together to create a day where there are educational courses about the disease
  • Arrange for musical performances, conduct marathons and walk-a-thons to help generate donations to support the ongoing research into this condition.
  • Work together with friends and family to help organize refreshment stands or bake sales to produce more funds to donate to research groups

Turacoz Healthcare Solutions is committed to spread the awareness on such social or healthcare-related issues as a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity. Our medical writing team is well-versed in various therapeutic areas which gives them a head start in various publication, clinical research and regulatory writing projects.

The role of air purifier to combat air pollution

Health & Fitness, , , ,

Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matters or biological materials in air, for a sufficient time that causes harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms or damages the natural environment. Clean air is considered as a basic requirement of human because it determines the health of the lungs as well as other organs. In order to extract 420 litres of oxygen that is crucial for human survival and function, a total of 10,000 litres of air enters the lungs every day. However, air pollution is continuously rising and responsible for significant threat to health worldwide. According to the World Health organization (WHO) report, around 7 million people died in 2012 as a result of air pollution exposure confirming that air pollution is now the world’s largest single environmental health risk.

There are different types of air pollutants, which affect the living organism as well as climate in different ways, depending on their specific properties and ultimately effect the living organisms. Air pollutants mainly consists of gas and particle contaminants that are present in the atmosphere. Gaseous pollutants includeSO2, NOx, ozone, carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), certain toxic air pollutants, and some gaseous forms of metals whereas particle pollution (PM2.5 and PM10) includes a mixture of compounds.

Various scientific studies have associated with air pollution to a number of health problems, which include: (1) diminished lung function; (2) precipitation of respiratory symptoms such as difficulty breathing and coughing; (3) worsening of respiratory and cardiovascular disease; (4) increased susceptibility to respiratory infections; (5) adverse effect on nervous system, including the brain, such as Intelligence quotient (IQ) loss and impacts on learning, memory, and behaviour; (6) cancer; and (7) premature death.

While air quality regulations can reduce air pollution at a societal level, but individuals can also play important role to improve the air quality especially in their house. With a better understanding of indoor pollutants (e.g., dust mites, household pets, cockroaches, mould, environmental tobacco smoke, wood smoke, volatile organic compounds), a new and effective measures i.e. air filters have evolved. Indoor air filtration can also be provided by whole house filtration via the home’s heating, ventilation, or air conditioning system, by portable room air cleaners.

Currently available air purifiers usually have a multilayer filter system composed of a pre‑filter, a carbon filter, an antibacterial filter, and a HEPA (High-efficiency particulate arrestance) filter. The HEPA filters, which were traditionally used in hospitals, has indeed been a significant inclusion to home air purifiers. A HEPA filter uses mechanical filtration to remove airborne particles. A HEPA filter is standardized at a minimum 99.97% efficiency rating for removing particles greater than or equal to 0.3μm (1/83,000 of an inch) in diameter. This means that for every 10,000 particles that are 0.3μm in diameter, 3 will pass through the filter, and the rest will be trapped by the filter.

Although air pollution remains a worldwide epidemic and need multi-tiered prevention strategy, use of air filter which efficiently remove particulate matter, may result in significant health benefits to patients of asthma and cardiovascular disease. Besides, children, the elderly, and women will also be benefited, if indoor air quality is good because they spend more time in the home environment.

Training And Development

Medical Writing, , ,

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.” – Henry Ford

The most important aspect of our lives and our work is “continuous learning”. Nobody in the world can stop a person who has willingness to learn more and more. Be it school, college, office, or our personal life, everything is based on learning new things every day. However, learning becomes an easy task if there is someone to guide you and to train you.

And there comes the importance of TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT!

Training is defined as a learning process in which a person acquires knowledge and appropriate skills to excel in a particular role. This process helps in the development of an individual and thus, plays an important role in improving the status of an organization, society, as well as a country. However, it is a short-term process and is specific to a particular job/role/skill. On the other hand, development is a long-term process that helps to improve the overall dimensions of an individual, and makes him better equipped to handle any sort of situations.

The important thing is not only training, but the timing and type of training. Imagine a twelve class student being trained on the basic concepts of physics which he had already learnt in class nine, or a training imparted on waste management to the student of economics. Such kind of trainings would just be a waste of time, resources, as well as money. Thus, the most significant aspect of training is the correct type of training to the right people at the most appropriate time.

Usually when we talk about training and development, what comes to our mind is the “human resource development”, i.e. training and development programs that are conducted in an organization for enhancement of the skills of its employees.

So let’s see why do we need training and development in an organization?

  • To enrich the employees with latest technology and knowledge.
  • To match employee specifications with the job requirements.
  • To improve or enhance the skill-set of employees.
  • For personal development of the employees.
  • To improve the quality of work and minimize the wastage of resources.

There are different types of trainings that are conducted based on the requirements of the employees as well as the organization. So let’s look at the various types of training?

  • Induction training: To make the new employees familiar with the procedures, code of conduct, policies, and work profile of an organization.
  • Job training: To improve the knowledge and skills of an employee for his designated job.
  • Refresher training: To incorporate the latest developments, and upgrade the skills of the employee.
  • Safety training: To minimize the accidents and ensure safe working in an organization.
  • Promotional training: For training of the existing employee before his promotion.
  • Remedial training: To overcome the shortcomings of the employees.
  • Internship training: To provide practical knowledge to the students via combined efforts of the educational institutes and industries.

Usually, any training can be imparted via two methods:

  • On-job training methods: Includes job rotation, coaching, job instructions, assignments, and internships.
  • Off-job training methods: Includes lectures, conferences, seminars, case studies etc.

However, any training should not just be the dump of information. It should suit the requirements of the employees and serve their needs. We can say that training and development is effective only if it imparts new and necessary skills, is practical-oriented, and aligns the training needs with the goals of the organization

Some of the advantages of training and development are:

  • Improved knowledge and skills at the level of organization
  • Improved corporate image
  • Organizational development
  • Increased profits of the organization
  • Increased morale of the employees

Nevertheless, there are certain challenges associated with the training and development process like:

  • Difficulty in identifying the needs of the employees
  • Individuals might be resistant to learn
  • Expensive process
  • Needs time and resources
  • Equips staff to resign for better jobs

In a nutshell, we can say that training and development are very important in an organization for its continuous progress. Although it is a challenging and expensive process, training and development in the right direction can help the individuals/employees as well as organization in their growth, and thus, can prove to be a worthwhile investment.

As it is well said, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” – John F. Kennedy

Turacoz Healthcare Solutions as a socially responsible company spreads the word and awareness and looks forward to collaboration or associations with other agencies/companies with similar goals and aspirations. We have a skilled and competent team of medical writers, clinicians, researchers and biostatisticians. Our clients include major pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and healthcare professionals. Our experience has been in supporting publications, creating regulatory documents, conducting observational studies, designing and creating for print and digital marketing as well as customizing sessions on medical writing. 

Training&Development

Medical Writing, ,

‘Medical writing’ is a perfect amalgamation of science and art. As a medical writer, one has to maintain a good balance between the technicality of science and art of communicating with the readers via words. Other than the basic requisite of knowledge of therapeutic areas, and command over the language; medical writing requires an understanding of the medical concepts and terminology, knowledge of relevant guidelines as regards the structure and contents of specific documents, and good writing skills.

The good news is that adeptness of effective medical writing can be easily learned by regular training and development!

Though there is no formal degree / diploma or certification course in medical writing, but there are few resources which can be utilized for gaining expertise in this discipline. These resources include; in-house medical training courses for employees provided by the various organization, short courses / workshops by professional bodies, on-the-job ‘mentor-guided’ training, and motivated “self-study”. Among all these resources, the motivated self –study is the mainstay and pertinent way of learning medical writing. Curiosity to learn and self-motivation can transform any mediocre into a seasoned medical writer. If one has a desire to take medical writing as a full-time career option then these five hacks can surely add value to the work;

#1 Read carefully, read regularly

New knowledge and information are constantly being added to the field of medicine. Every year a large number of papers are published related to various research studies, clinical experience, and new ideas and thoughts related to the healthcare industry. The best way to learn is to read through as many papers as possible. This teaches how to present data and what mistakes to avoid.

All the documents prepared under medical writing strictly abide by one or more technical guidelines issued by the regulating bodies. Therefore, a medical writer should be well-acquainted with the latest technical guidelines followed in different parts of the world. For instance, EU, USA, and Japan have evolved a set of common guidelines (International Conference on Harmonisation [ICH] guidelines) related to drug development and registration. For publication, Good Publication Practices, guidelines for reporting clinical trials (e.g. CONSORT), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors’ (ICMJE) guidelines for manuscripts are mostly used. A medical writer should keep him/her updated with the latest versions of these guidelines.

Therefore reading carefully and reading regularly is a most important part of medical writing.

#2 Understand your audience well

The documents prepared by the medical writer have a different set of target audience, which may include; healthcare professionals, regulatory bodies, patients, and consumers. A medical writer should always try and take a reader’s perspective to understand how to approach a subject. The information in any document should be targeted in terms of the subject and the audience.
Therefore, it is very important that a medical writer identifies the target audience before writing.

#3 Pre-writing is a must

Pre-writing or drafting is an important part of medical writing. Before writing the first draft, develop a road map. Gain knowledge of the therapeutic area that is to be addressed, this enhance the relevance of articles being searched. Reading about the therapeutic area is very important prior starting the literature search. The literature search should be followed by, arranging key facts and citations from the literature into a crude roadmap/outline. Follow the outline meticulously, for writing a well-organized document.

#4 Write Lucid, clear and crisp

While writing, be clear and specific, and strictly avoid beating around the bush. The main idea/ objective of the document should be clear from first few paragraph of the document. Remember, while reading, a reader follows an “F” pattern i.e. the first few paragraphs are read carefully and the remaining document is scanned in an F pattern. Hence, it is very important to keep all the key information in the first few paragraphs, to keep a reader hooked to the article.Adding sub-heading also helps to catch readers attention.

The information should be well- organized. In the margins of your paper, tag each paragraph with a phrase or sentence that sums up the main point. Then move paragraphs around to improve logical flow and bring similar ideas together.

#5 Revise well before submitting

Before submitting your work, proofread and edit it well. Remember, a sentence written incorrectly will not convey any meaning or add value to your document. Read each sentence more than once to identify grammatical errors. While revising your work; read out loud, do a verb check, cut clutter, do an organizational review, and get feedback from others.

As quoted by William Zinsser- “If writing seems hard, it’s because it is hard. It’s one of the hardest things people do”. Though, practising regularly and keeping one well-versed with the latest happenings of the domain can ease down the task.

Turacoz Healthcare Solutions as a socially responsible company spreads the word and awareness and looks forward to collaboration or associations with other agencies/companies with similar goals and aspirations. We have a skilled and competent team of medical writers, clinicians, researchers and biostatisticians. Our clients include major pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and healthcare professionals. Our experience has been in supporting publications, creating regulatory documents, conducting observational studies, designing and creating for print and digital marketing as well as customizing sessions on medical writing. 

#Biostatistics

Medical Writing, , ,

Clinical studies are conducted to test the drugs and medical devices in humans before their approval and availability for the commercial market. To understand the results of clinical studies, clinical research professionals need to use statistical analysis. Biostatistics helps them to understand the different aspects of the study which enable to interpret the results of the study in more scientific way. It involves the biostatistician immediately after conceptualization of the research question. This will make sure that you design the study accurately. Introduction of the biostatistician in the middle of the study can result in several pitfalls in the study design.

Now, question may arise why there is need for biostatistics in human research? The simple answer can be to understand the concept of variation and sampling. Attributes are not only different among the individuals but they could also be different within the same individual over the time. Human research mostly conducted on small sample size and it’s indeed a tedious task to express the results from small sample size. Therefore, biostatistics plays an important role in human medical research.

The most common medical writing tips for the use of biostatistics in human research are provided below:

  • How was data collected?

For a survey type of study, describe the method of data collection and provide pertinent details, such as the number of questions, range of questionnaire response scores and the meaning of each score.

  • Use simple models for defined parameters

In data analysis, particularly for complex high-dimensional data, it is frequently better to choose simple models for clearly defined parameters.

  • Which statistical software used?

Mention the statistical software and the version used in the analysis, and details such as the manufacturer of the software, city, and country of origin in parenthesis.

  • What all to describe?

Provide clear descriptions of the main features of the statistical analysis (e.g. confidence interval, including degree of confidence; hypothesis tests, including null and alternative hypotheses; level of significance; particular tests and test statistics).

  • Why is data review essential?

To determine the quality of the data, initially look at the bad data first and then remove the suspected data. This would save a lot of time and rework later.

  • How did you manage outliers?

Describe the procedures that were put in place to handle missing values and data, as well as any outliers (provide the definition used for an outlier).

  • What should be the sample size?

To minimize the sampling error effect, large sample size need to be collected. The confidence interval can then be computed and visualized in excel. This enables to make most of small and large sample sizes.

  • Why should you describe study design?

The study design should be described accurately and in detail so that the study can be reproduced, if required. Study/sampling/data flow charts can be used to describe complicated sampling/study designs.

  • What is the role of data management?

Data management is the foundation to well done studies. Statistical team’s participation during study design is important for well reported results.

  • Some more tips
    • A pleasant appearance, coupled with visual interest, can draw the reader through the text and reduce the effort of reading. Use of tables, figures, and graphs provide visual interest and can help clarify a complex message.
    • Use appropriate measures of central tendency and spread as summary statistics; for instance, report medians for highly skewed data. If using the notation a ± b, clearly state what b is – it could be standard deviation or standard error.
    • Use tables to report summary statistics, summaries of results, or the quantities associated with a p-value.

Biostatistics gives you the rationale behind extrapolating the results to larger population and these figures are very important in our day to day science. Learning the basics of biostatics’ is necessary for medical writers as this knowledge can help them to give the explanations of the results and what impact will they have on patient care and outcome.

Turacoz Healthcare Solutions as a socially responsible company spreads the word and awareness and looks forward to collaboration or associations with other agencies/companies with similar goals and aspirations. We have a skilled and competent team of medical writers, clinicians, researchers and biostatisticians. Our clients include major pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and healthcare professionals. Our experience has been in supporting publications, creating regulatory documents, conducting observational studies, designing and creating for print and digital marketing as well as customizing sessions on medical writing. 

#PublicationEthics

Medical Writing, ,

Publishing the results of a study completes the research conducted. As mentioned by EH Miller, “If it was not published, it was not done”. Although there are numerous guidelines and checklists that one follows under the publication cycle, following publication ethics is of top priority. Every aspect of publishing a manuscript is guided by ethical principles. Most peer reviewed journals, keep publication ethics their top most requirement failing which the manuscript cannot be accepted. The World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) strives to reinforce and make recommendations on publication ethics to the scientific community.

Any study begins with a study design. The study design must be made to adequately address the research question. Approval of the study design with every aspect must be obtained prior to the beginning of the study from the institutional review board or ethics committee. In addition, all animal studies must be conducted with full compliance of the local, national, ethical, and regulatory principles, and the local licensing arrangements.

Ensuring that the work being published is original, all authors enlisted are aware of the submission, obtaining copyright permission for tables and figures, including paper affiliations, and ensuring that the manuscript has not been submitted to more than one journal at a time are a mandate for following publication ethics. Other important types of ethical violations include failure to inform the editor regarding related papers, unrevealing the conflict of interests which may affect the results of the study, misinterpretation of research findings by the use of selective or fraudulent data to support a hypothesis or claim.

Breach of publication ethics sooner or later come to light leading to unavoidable consequences. In most cases, the manuscript is retracted or the authors may be asked to submit an apology to the corresponding journal of submission. In severe cases, the authors of the paper may be blacklisted from further submissions in the journal which can hamper the reputation of the authors in the scientific committee.

In conclusion, any kind of breach can be avoided by preparing a focused manuscript with originality. Appropriate citing of references to avoid plagiarism and declaration of conflict of interests among the authors must be considered. Adequate knowledge of the ethical guidelines is the key factor for preparation of documents which comply with all ethical principles.

Turacoz Healthcare Solutions as a socially responsible company spreads the word and awareness and looks forward to collaboration or associations with other agencies/companies with similar goals and aspirations. We have a skilled and competent team of medical writers, clinicians, researchers and biostatisticians. Our clients include major pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and healthcare professionals. Our experience has been in supporting publications, creating regulatory documents, conducting observational studies, designing and creating for print and digital marketing as well as customizing sessions on medical writing.