The perils of the unknown: Missing data in clinical studies - Volume 27, Issue

The phenomenon of missing data is ubiquitous in clinical studies. Both the extent of missing data and the structure of missing data can introduce bias into study results and lead to wrong conclusions. Medical writers should be aware of the extent of…

Race and ethnicity in biomedical literature: A narrative review - Volume 31, Issue

Race and ethnicity are not clearly defined in biomedical literature and misaligned with genomics and epigenomic findings; the guidelines for consistent reporting in publications and regulations from health authorities are lacking. Minority…

HIV vaccine clinical trials: An overview - Volume 27, Issue

More than 30 years after the discovery of the human immunodeficiency virus as the agent that causes AIDS, an effective vaccine against this deadly disease has yet to be developed. The pathway to the development of a vaccine has been riddled with…

Veterinary sustainability - Volume 31, Issue

Respected for their knowledge of animal health and disease, veterinarians safeguard animal health and welfare and, where applicable, the productivity of animals under their care. With the threats posed by climate change, the veterinary profession…

Charting your way to the top: The 12 major milestones of freelance medical writing - Volume 32, Issue

As a freelance medical writer, it’s tough to know how well you’re doing – conventional career metrics don’t apply and you don’t have a boss keeping tabs on you. Yet, for your medical writing business to stand the test of time, with you at the helm,…

Bringing decentralised clinical trial protocols to life - Volume 32, Issue

Decentralised clinical trials (DCT) use technology, processes, and services to reduce or eliminate the need for onsite visits. Use of DCT components within clinical trials is becoming widespread and protocols are pivoting from using DCT components…

Unlocking new efficiencies: How structured content authoring is streamlining the production of clinical documents for the pharmaceutical industry - Volume 32, Issue

Current practice requires clinical and regulatory documents to be created and updated manually by medical writers throughout a product’s development. Conventionally, document content is unstructured, with freeform text, figures, and tables that the…

Transparency through the lens of data protection and privacy: A clinical research organisation medical writing perspective - Volume 33, Issue

Medical writers maintain a fine balance between data transparency obligations and personal data protection in clinical reports. Hence, we must stay informed of data protection requirements outlined in the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)…

Lifelong learning opportunitites are available for all - Volume 31, Issue

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) call all UN member states– low-, high- and middle-income – to promote prosperity while protecting the environment. The 17 goals are part “of a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for…

Medical Communications and Writing for Patients - Volume 33, Issue

Section Editor: Lisa Chamberlain James

Involving patients in company-sponsored medical publications: Learning from collaboration with a patient advocacy group to engage patient authors

Authors: Aki Yoshikawa, Atsuko Iwata, Miho Hatano, Yuko Koji…