Starting or Strengthening a Drug Bulletin - A Practical Manual: 7. The editorial process: 7.8 References

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:: Themes & Keywords

· WHO Publications > English > Medicine Information and Evidence for Policy > Information and Publications
· WHO Publications > English > Medicine Access and Rational Use > Rational Use

· Keywords > drug bulletin
· Keywords > planning resources

Starting or Strengthening a Drug Bulletin - A Practical Manual
(2005; 165 pages)

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Table of Contents

	Preface
	How the manual was produced
	About ISDB
	Executive summary
	1. Introduction
		1.1 Are you starting or developing a bulletin?
		1.2 Objectives of this manual
		1.3 The need for the manual
		1.4 The importance of feedback
	2. Rational use of medicines
		2.1 The relationship between evidence and rational use
		2.2 Other influences on the choice of medicines
		2.3 Sources of information for prescribers
		2.4 The special role of drug bulletins
		2.5 Specific ways in which bulletins can help
		2.6 Bulletins as part of wider initiatives for promoting rational use of medicines
		2.7 Summary
	3. What are drug bulletins?
		3.1 Definition
		3.2 The history of drug bulletins
		3.3 What makes an ‘independent’ drug bulletin independent?
		3.4 Types of editorial content
		3.5 Styles of communicating information
		3.6 The institutional base
		3.7 References
	4. Defining aims, target and type of bulletin
		4.1 Principles
		4.2 What is already available?
		4.3 Information on drug utilisation helps you choose topics
		4.4 Defining and refining the aims of the bulletin
		4.5 Who are the readers?
		4.6 What type of information is needed?
	5. Planning resources
		5.1 The first steps in planning
		5.2 Identify what is already available or accessible
		5.3 Make a realistic assessment of additional needs
		5.4 Human resources: who will do the work?
			5.4.1 The editorial team
			5.4.2 The advisory board
			5.4.3 External reviewers
		5.5 Maintaining the motivation of contributors
		5.6 Material resources - an office, equipment and references
		5.7 Financial resources - the key to sustainability
		5.8 Long-term sustainability
		5.9 Cost-saving strategies
		5.10 Key messages for starting a drug bulletin
		5.11 References
	6. Planning bulletin production: schedules and timing
		6.1 Why is planning necessary?
		6.2 Start modestly and grow gradually
		6.3 Develop a framework for producing articles
		6.4 Flexible planning for each issue
		6.5 Allow time for delays in distribution
		6.6 Integrate necessary sidelines into your overall planning
		6.7 A few principles for planning the production of a bulletin
	7. The editorial process
		7.1 Outline of the editorial process
		7.2 Editing a drug bulletin
			7.2.1 Editorial independence
			7.2.2 Strong and sustained editorial policy and a committed team
			7.2.3 Selecting topics for articles
			7.2.4 Using and adapting existing material
			7.2.5 Planning a bulletin issue
		7.3 Writing bulletin articles
			7.3.1 Finding and motivating authors
			7.3.2 Rewarding authors
			7.3.3 Writing an article
			7.3.4 Outlining the topic
			7.3.5 Searching for documentation
			7.3.6 The first draft
			7.3.7 Discuss the draft with an editor
		7.4 Reviewing the article
			7.4.1 How many people should review an article?
			7.4.2 Should a bulletin set up a permanent review board?
			7.4.3 Should readers be included in the review board?
			7.4.4 Should patients or lay people be included?
			7.4.5 Should the pharmaceutical industry review drafts?
			7.4.6 Tips for reviewing articles
			7.4.7 Rewarding reviewers
		7.5. Rewriting the article
		7.6 Final checks
		7.7 Follow-up after publication
			7.7.1 Indexing
			7.7.2 Authors’ certificates
			7.7.3 Post-publication correspondence
			7.7.4 Corrections
			7.7.5 Requests for reproduction
			7.7.6 Keeping track of how bulletin articles are quoted and used
		7.8 References
	8. Reviewing a new drug: is it a therapeutic advance?
		8.1 Introduction
		8.2 When is a new treatment a therapeutic advance?
		8.3 Collecting evidence about the drug
			8.3.1 Where to find evidence on new drugs?
			8.3.2 What about using unpublished information?
		8.4 Evaluation in terms of efficacy, harm and convenience
			8.4.1 Efficacy
			8.4.2 Adverse effects/harms
			8.4.3 Convenience
		8.5 Judging the overall value of the drug
			8.5.1 Considering the new drug in the local and individual context
			8.5.2 Overall rating scales
		8.6 Cost
			8.6.1 Compare costs in the light of true therapeutic value
			8.6.2 Comparisons should be appropriate and practical
			8.6.3 Bear in mind additional costs for using drugs
		8.7 What patients need to know
		8.8 References
	Annexe to Chapter 8: Evaluating harm
		8.An-1 Talk about harm, not risk
		8.An-2 Assessment of causation of a harmful effect
		8.An-3 Assessing coherence with preclinical data
			8.An-3.1 General principles
			8.An-3.2 Chemical structure of new drugs
			8.An-3.3 Considering the profile of adverse effects
			8.An-3.4 Ratio of toxic and efficacy level in the same animal
			8.An-3.5 Extrapolation of animal toxicity (safety) level to humans
		8.An-4 References
	9. Design and production
		9.1 Elements of good design
		9.2 Creating the design
		9.3 Using images
		9.4 The production process
		9.5 Developing a house style
		9.6 Ensuring accuracy - proof reading
		9.7 Printing
		9.8 Electronic publishing
		9.9 Further reading
	10. Dissemination
		10.1 Why dissemination is important
		10.2 Managing a subscription-based approach
		10.3 Guidelines for effective distribution
		10.4 Communicating your bulletin’s messages more widely
		10.5 Key messages
	11. Organizational and legal issues
		11.1 Introduction
		11.2 Why does a drug bulletin need a structure?
		11.3 Different kind of structures
			11.3.1 An association
			11.3.2 A foundation
			11.3.3 Other legal entities
			11.3.4 A bulletin within another organization
		11.4 How to deal with legal action
		11.5 Copyright
			11.5.1 Limits to copyright
			11.5.2 How is copyright created?
			11.5.3 How to use copyrighted material
			11.5.4 Fair use and quotes
		11.6 Further reading
	12. Evaluating quality and usefulness
		12.1 Introduction
		12.2 Evaluation brings many benefits
		12.3 Three approaches: audit, feedback and impact assessment
		12.4 Start with your own evaluation of the bulletin
		12.5 Assessing readers' opinions of the bulletin
			12.5.1 Methods of assessing readers’ opinions
			12.5.2 Potential problems
			12.5.3 Selecting the data collection method
			12.5.4 Planning the survey
			12.5.5 How many replies are enough?
			12.5.6 Drafting the questions
		12.6 Evaluating the impact of the bulletin
		12.7 Feedback is achievable and invaluable
		12.8 Simple observations can tell a lot
		12.9 References
	13. Partnership and collaboration
		13.1 The importance of supportive partners
		13.2 Possibilities at national, regional and international levels
		13.3 Various forms of collaboration
			13.3.1 Twinning arrangements
			13.3.2 Sharing information and resources
			13.3.3 Using established bulletins’ expertise
			13.3.4 Training sessions and workshops
			13.3.5 Ongoing information exchange between bulletins
			13.3.6 Collaborative research among bulletins
			13.3.7 Information and support for funding applications
		13.4 Identifying partners and networks
		13.5 Clearly define conditions for partnership
	14. Keeping records and creating a memory
		14.1 Why keep records?
		14.2 What to keep and record?
		14.3 Creating an organizational memory
		14.4 How to start an archive
		14.5 Further reading
	Appendix: Electronic sources of information
		For general access to evidence
		Journal articles
		Systematic reviews
		National disease prevention and control, health promotion etc.
		Health technology assessment
		Clinical guidelines
		Formularies/Essential medicines
		Regulatory authorities
		Adverse effects
		Information about/for patients
		Drug promotion
		Networks and directories
		ISDB member bulletins
		Feedback and evaluation form

7.8 References

1. WHO Regional Office for Europe. Definition of independent drug information. In: Independent drug bulletins. Report of an international WHO meeting on drug information, Madrid 1985:

2. International Society of Drug Bulletins Constitution. Articles of the Society. 31 March 1987.

3. Comment établir l'imputabilité des effets indésirables des médicaments? (How can we determine the causes of adverse effects of drugs?) La Lettre du Cedim 1998;3(1).

4. Ahlquist-Rastad J, et al. Judging the therapeutic value of drugs: a comparison between la revue Prescrire and Information fran Läkemedelsverket, the bulletin of the Swedish Medical Products Agency. International Journal of Risk & Safety in Medicines 2004;16:83-90.

5. Commissioning and writing. In: How to produce a newsletter. Rev. ed. London: Healthlink Worldwide; 1998. (Out of print, but a scanned version is available at:
http://mednet2.who.int/DrugBulletinProject/).

6. Reading between the lines of clinical trials-I: design. Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin 1985;23:1-4 and “II: analysis” Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin 1985;23:5-8.

7. Greenhalgh T. How to read a paper. The basics of evidence based medicine. London: BMJ Publishing Group; 1997.

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Last updated: May 3, 2013