Obesity101.com THE LATEST IN OBESITY RESEARCH AND WEIGHTLOSS DRUG DEVELOPMENT Join our list More information Accuracy in medical reporting A consumer's guide. Every once in a while I get an e-mail from a visitor asking me, "What are your credentials?" And the answer to this question is, there are no specific credentials for being a medical writer. Unlike the scientists who perform medical experiments or the physicians who care for patients, medical writers only read the reports of others and interpret them for a lay and/or professional audience. Outside of a degree in journalism or a related field, there are no other "requirements". So how do you as a consumer know that the information you get is accurate? It isn't easy to know right off the cuff, but there are certain methods that all medical writers should use when writing up a story and indicators that you as a consumer should look for to assure that the information you are getting is accurate and unbiased. This goes whether the information comes from Obesity-news or from another source. What goes into good medical reporting? These are the things any good medical writer should consider when writing up a story: Selection of articles. Some medical writers cover every topic from cancer to obesity. Obviously a reporter who specializes in a specific area of medicine is going to know more about it than a generalist. A good medical journalist should know the basics of study design, but may not be competent to know whether all the proper testing procedures have been used in an experiment. This is why it is important to select articles carefully. One way of insuring good methods is to cover peer-reviewed medical articles. The peer review process looks at the methods and conclusions and then the reviewers decide whether or not the study is publication worthy. Covering medical conferences. When covering a medical conference, obviously there is no "peer review", so then you look at the quality of the institution. Are you reviewing a study from the Karolinska Institute (one of the premiere research institutes in the world), or from Joe Blow's lab? If the study is an "invited paper", it has most likely gone through some kind of reviewing process by the organization hosting the conference. The minimum for covering a presentation at a medical conference is a copy of the abstract. Generally it is wise to also speak with the researcher if you haven't attended the conference or the information came from a "poster session". In a poster session researchers put posters up on a bulletin board to share new research. Sometimes one of the investigators is on hand to discuss the research, but other times no representative is there. Comprehension. When writing up a journal article, of course, the first step is to read the thing cover to cover. If there is something the reporter does not understand then there a couple of options for filling in the blanks. The first is to speak to the researcher, or if the "blank" is something basic, like not understanding some of the testing procedures, then reading a good review article should cover that base. If the reporter thinks the author of the paper is biased for one reason or another, speaking to another researcher covering the same area is a good idea. Bias. Bias is very important when summarizing a medical journal article. Knowing and reporting whether or not the researcher has received money from the manufacturer of a drug or medical device being studied is important. Generally funding sources and affiliations are divulged, but sometimes bias is less obvious. Hints to look for include a conclusion from a study that is much different from other research on the subject. And a good medical writer should be familiar enough with his or her subject to know whether or not a conclusion is way off base. Other medical research. On most subjects there is a body of medical research. If a reporter is reviewing a paper that disputes what has been written before, looking at the other research is important. Even if the conclusions are not in dispute, it is a good idea to see what similar research has been published within the last few months to a year. The NIH medline database is the best place to do a literature search. Medline does not have every medical journal in its records, but it does contain at least 2/3 of them. It is the largest database of journals in the world. How does the consumer know that good reporting methods have been used? Although the above are good practices for medical writers, in reality the consumer doesn't know that these methods are being employed by a particular reporter. So it is fair to question the accuracy of the information you read. One way to get an indicator of accuracy is to look at the quality of the publication you are reading and to what bias that publication may be subject. For web publications, here are some indicators: Bias. It is a fair question to ask to whom the editor or writers of a publication may be beholden. Is the web site being funded by any entity? If the site is sponsored, even if the grant is unrestricted, the consumer should be suspicious of the content. This goes double if there are only one or two sponsors. Does the web site take advertising? Generally advertising is not as big a red flag, but if a web site is taking money from advertisers it is possible that it may not want to offend them by publishing uncomplimentary information and possibly losing a source of revenue. Credibility and disclosure. Does the web site adhere to the HON code of health care information on the web? The HON code speaks to accuracy, disclosure and honesty. In order to display the HON code label, full disclosure of affiliations must be made. In addition, the credentials of the individual(s) responsible for content must be posted prominently. Does the reporting appear to be independent? Does it cow-tow to researchers, always say good things about the studies being summarized? Does it fail to report inadequacies in research pointed out in other publications? If you consistently see this kind of reporting from a publication, then there might be a source of funding, or information not being revealed. Reporting should be even-handed, responsible and reasonable. Privacy. Does the site have a clear privacy policy linked to its front page? As a consumer, this is what you should look for when you visit health care sites on the web. It is important to know that the information you get is credible and that the organization or individual running it is honest, protects your privacy and gives good customer service. Home|Subscribe|Archives|Drug info|Contact|Media & Links|Site index|FAQs|Doctors/meetings|Admin Obesity-news is a publication of Hirsch Communications. An on-line subscription is $104.00 per year, payable in advance by check, money order, American Express, Discover, VISA or Mastercard. Subscribing is simple using our secure on-line subscription form. Obesity-news also accepts fax orders at 703/960-7462 and mail orders at PO Box 19316, Alexandria, VA 22320-0316. Copyright 1997-2008, all rights reserved. IMPORTANT: All information in this publication is believed to be accurate and true. Publisher is not liable for omissions or inaccuracies. Information in this newsletter is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, or be used in lieu of consultation with a health care provider.