Current medical research and opinion
-
To determine if therapeutic management programs that include self-monitoring of blood glucose result in greater HbA1c reduction in non-insulin-requiring type 2 diabetes patients compared to programs without blood glucose self-monitoring. ⋯ Multi-component diabetes management programs with self-monitoring of blood glucose result in better glycemic control among non-insulin-using type 2 diabetes patients.
-
Comparative Study
A comparison of the resources used in advanced cancer care between two different strong opioids: an analysis of naturalistic practice in the UK.
To assess the resource implications of using strong opioids in patients with advanced cancer in the UK, based on naturalistic practice, in order to develop the evidence base supporting better management. ⋯ SR morphine and transdermal fentanyl seem to be used in different situations. The results also confirm previous findings that pain management in cancer patients is often sub-optimal. The low contribution of opioids to the overall costs indicates that this should not be an obstacle to starting this aspect of palliative care earlier in disease progression. This characterisation of the resource implications of using SR morphine and transdermal fentanyl should enable purchasers and providers to optimise the availability of strong opioids for cancer patients on medical, economic and humanitarian grounds.
-
To estimate the costs of using carboxymethyl cellulose dressing (CMCD; Aquacel* Hydrofiber) compared to gauze in managing surgical wounds healing by secondary intention in the US and UK. ⋯ Dressing surgical wounds healing by secondary intention with CMCD instead of gauze is expected to lead to a reduction in healthcare costs in both the US and UK. Hence, the purchase price of a dressing is not indicative of the cost effectiveness of a given method of surgical wound care.
-
Many papers in biomedical journals are drafted not by the named authors, but by professional medical writers working under the direction of those authors, usually funded by pharmaceutical companies. Although this practice can improve both the quality and speed of publications, it has attracted controversy as a result of concerns about the inappropriate influence of pharmaceutical companies. ⋯ The guidelines stress the importance of respecting widely recognised authorship criteria, and in particular of ensuring that those listed as named authors have full control of the content of papers. The role of medical writers must be transparent, which normally means a mention in the acknowledgements section, together with a statement about funding. Writers and authors must have access to relevant data while writing papers. Medical writers have professional responsibilities to ensure that the papers they write are scientifically valid and are written in accordance with generally accepted ethical standards.
-
Editorial Comment
The involvement of professional medical writers in medical publications.
In this editorial, we comment on the European Medical Writers Association (EMWA) guidelines and the accompanying Delphi study published in this issue of Current Medical Research and Opinion. These articles deal with 'ghost writing' and the role of professional writers. We propose that the interaction between professional writers and authors is defined along the following principles: Guarantee: are the authors guarantors of the article? Advice: was the professional writer 'advised' by the author(s) before, as well as after, starting the assignment? Were the overall conclusions defined by the author(s)? Transparency: the contribution of professional writers should be acknowledged (we provide a draft statement). ⋯ Therefore, we called them the ' GATE principles '. We also discuss suggestions for the accreditation of professional writers in specific fields. Professional writers play a useful role but this has to be clearly defined so as to achieve high ethical and scientific standards.