Medical journals and medical reporting

Can altmetrics predict future citation counts in critical care medicine publications?

Introduction

Social media is increasingly used in the dissemination of medical research. Traditional measures of the impact of a paper do not account for this. Altmetrics are a measure of the dissemination of a publication via social media websites. The purpose of this study is to ascertain if the altmetric attention score of an article is a reliable measure of the impact it has in the field of critical care medicine. To this end, we investigated if a correlation exists between future citation count and altmetric attention score.

Methods

The top nine journals by impact factor in the field of critical care medicine were identified for 2014 and 2015. The 100 most cited articles from these journals were recorded to form the Scientific Impact Group, i.e. those with the greatest impact on the scientific community. The altmetric attention score was recorded for each article. The top 100 articles by altmetric attention score were also identified to form the Media Impact Group, i.e. those that generated the most online attention. Their citation counts' were recorded. Statistical analysis was performed on each group to identify a correlation between altmetric attention score and citation count.

Results

There was a moderately positive correlation in the Scientific Impact Group, with a Spearman r score of 0.4336 (P = 0.0001). A weakly positive correlation was found in the Media Impact Group, with a Spearman r score of 0.3033 (P = 0.002).

Conclusions

There is a positive correlation between traditional bibliographic metrics and altmetrics in the field of critical care medicine. Highly cited papers are more likely to generate online attention. However, papers that generate a lot of online attention are less likely to have a high citation count. Therefore, altmetric attention score is not a reliable predictor of future citation count in critical care medicine.

Challenges to generating evidence-informed policy and the role of systematic reviews and (perceived) conflicts of interest

BACKGROUND

Multiple efforts to generate evidence-informed policy have attempted to teach policymakers how to understand and apply scientific research findings in their decision-making. These efforts have had limited success, because policymakers generally do not understand scientific methods.

OBJECTIVE

We piloted efforts to teach policy intermediaries - specifically consumer advocacy groups - how to understand and apply health research, anticipating that they might offer such evidence to policymakers in more accessible forms.

DESIGN

Four workshops focusing on research design and methods were conducted with consumer advocacy groups in 2010. We coded and analyzed participant responses regarding their confidence in interpreting research findings and assessments of research credibility, and the extent to which their knowledge about research findings changed after completing the workshops.

RESULTS

Our findings suggest that although participants expressed strong interest in understanding scientific research, their ability to develop confidence about scientific research methods was limited. However, like policymakers, consumer advocacy group members intuited that financial conflicts of interest could compromise scientific findings, although they initially underestimated their effects on research results. After training, consumer advocates also saw the value of using systematic reviews rather than individual studies.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that although advocates may not feel confident in their understanding of scientific research, they found it easier to understand the value of systematic reviews and the risks of conflicts of interest than other statistical concepts and terminology. Focusing on making these types of information available may offer a useful way for policymakers and consumer advocates to interpret the validity of policy-relevant scientific research.

Media and education of the consumer

The landscape has changed in how consumers get their health information. A shift to the Internet and social media are now the way many consumers obtain their health and medical information. In addition, the highly complex information in medicine and science separates health journalism from other forms of journalism. In this article, the question of the role of media in educating consumers is examined. It is clear that knowledge translation is complex and begs the cooperation of scientists and journalists alike.

Accuracy of popular media reporting on tobacco cessation therapy in substance abuse and mental health populations

BACKGROUND

Tobacco cessation therapy is not consistently provided for alcohol, drug abuse and mental health (ADM) populations, despite the enormous health consequences of tobacco addiction in these groups and research supporting the effectiveness of treatment. Policymakers, however, tend to rely on popular media reports rather than the scientific literature in regulating treatment. Our goal was to determine whether popular reporting accurately reflects findings from the scientific literature on tobacco cessation treatment for ADM populations in treatment.

METHODS

We compared the results of systematic reviews on tobacco cessation therapy published before 2004 with articles published in traditional media and on the internet over the following 8 years. We searched LexisNexis and Google and assessed them using the Index of Scientific Quality (ISQ).

RESULTS

We found that popular reporting on this topic was consistent with findings reported in contemporaneous scientific literature. Our results suggest that the failure to consistently provide tobacco cessation therapy to ADM populations in treatment is not due to poor research translation.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings also suggest that in this topic area, scientific research findings have diffused relatively quickly. Further study of journalism in this area may suggest new strategies for effective translation of scientific findings into popular reporting on tobacco control.

Improvement of the facial evenness of leave-on skincare products by a modified application method in Chinese women

OBJECTIVE

To understand the habits of Chinese women applying leave-on skincare products (LOSCP) and to improve female facial evenness of anti-ageing cosmetics through modifying facial skincare smear ways.

METHODS

A questionnaire on the method of applying LOSCP was distributed to 60 women with habit of using LOSCP. Their facial images before and after applying LOSCP were taken, and their positioning and grey value were used to analyse the effects of different applying methods on the uniformity of facial LOSCP.

RESULTS

LOSCP including anti-ageing cosmetics have been widely used among Chinese women for a long time. However, some women do not concern how to properly apply LOSCP. In our survey, the main focal points of the face are forehead, malar region, cheek, mouth corners and chin when they looking into the mirror, and mouth corners and inner canthus are often overlooked when applying cosmetic products. The image analysis found that after applying the LOSCP, the greyscale of the forehead, glabella, malar region, upper lip region and jaw changed significantly whereas that of canthus, mouth corners and lateral cheek region was not significantly different. Applying an improved smear method (11-point method)could significantly increase the grey values of various facial areas.

CONCLUSION

The way of Chinese women applying LOSCP may result in facial unevenness of skin products. By improving facial skincare smear method, one can make the products even in all facial areas, thereby ensuring the efficacy of anti-ageing cosmetics. Thus, further improvement and education regarding skincare is required.

Reporting characteristics of cancer pain: a systematic review and quantitative analysis of research publications in palliative care journals

Objective:

A common disorder requiring symptom palliation in palliative and end-of-life care is cancer. Cancer pain is recognized as a global health burden. This paper sought to systematically examine the extent to which there is an adequate scientific research base on cancer pain and its reporting characteristics in the palliative care journal literature.

Materials and Methods:

Search conducted in MEDLINE and CINAHL sought to locate all studies published in 19 palliative/ hospice/ supportive/ end-of-life care journals from 2009 to 2010. The journals included were: American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care, BMC Palliative Care, Current Opinion in Supportive and Palliative Care, End of Life Care Journal, European Journal of Palliative Care, Hospice Management Advisor, Indian Journal of Palliative Care, International Journal of Palliative Nursing, Internet Journal of Pain Symptom Control and Palliative Care, Journal of Pain and Palliative Care Pharmacotherapy, Journal of Palliative Care, Journal of Palliative Medicine, Journal of Social Work in End-of-life and Palliative Care, Journal of Supportive Oncology, Palliative Medicine, Palliative and Supportive Care, and Supportive Care in Cancer. Journal contents were searched to identify studies that included cancer pain in abstract.

Results:

During the years 2009 and 2010, of the selected 1,569 articles published in the journals reviewed, only 5.86% (92 articles) were on cancer pain.

Conclusion:

While researchers in the field of palliative care have studied cancer pain, the total percentage for studies is still a low 5.86%. To move the field of palliative care forward so that appropriate guidelines for cancer pain management can be developed, it is critical that more research be reported upon which to base cancer pain therapy in an evidence-based palliative care model.

Common sources of skin care education: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

The resources used by the public to locate health information are important.

AIM

To expose the sources from which the public gains a knowledge of dermatology.

METHODS

An anonymous, multiple-choice questionnaire was distributed to adults in college campuses, shopping malls, and community parks over a 4-month period.

RESULTS

Sixty-six percent of individuals stated that they felt physicians had the most authority for making recommendations regarding the skin. When questioned about the sources of skin care advice, however, there was a discrepancy, with only 35% stating that they actually consulted professionals. Indeed, 37% admitted to using family and friends as their primary source of information, and 28% used the media first.

CONCLUSIONS

In our opinion, the best method to ensure healthy skin habits and early diagnosis of disease would be to combine the efforts of healthcare and the media. These public resources should make people aware of skin diseases and preventative measures, whilst encouraging regular check-ups with dermatologists and persuading patients to employ open conversation with their physicians regarding care of their skin.

Did news reporters get it right? Translation of the 2002 hormone study findings

BACKGROUND

The news media play a critical role in communicating health information to the public. The unexpected findings in July 2002 about increased health risks associated with hormone therapy provided an opportunity to examine the process of translating scientific findings to reporters through communication intermediaries and appraise subsequent reporting in newspapers in the United States.

METHODS

Using qualitative research software, a qualitative analysis was conducted in 2006 to consider four types of messages: (1) hormone therapy health risks outweighed benefits (balance); (2) adverse hormone therapy health outcomes (health risk); (3) positive hormone therapy health outcomes (benefit); and (4) risk level (magnitude). The print materials analyzed included the original 2002 Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) article and editorial; JAMA and National Institutes of Health (NIH) press releases; the NIH press conference transcript; and 198 articles about hormone therapy in 22 U.S. newspapers published from July to September 2002.

RESULTS

The major study finding that hormone therapy risks outweighed benefits was reported consistently and accurately. Analyses of language and numbers on risk magnitude, and its interpretation revealed some variability, both within the translation materials and news stories. When risk numbers were included in newspaper stories, absolute risk was used more often than relative risk.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite much criticism of journalists' coverage of health issues, U.S. newspaper reporting about hormone therapy in 2002 was generally consistent. Several translational and communication strategies used with hormone therapy may be applicable to other efforts that involve working with reporters on major health stories or events. An important process oversight was the absence of hormone therapy communication efforts and guidance directed specifically to medical practitioners.

The development and use of mass media interventions for health-care messages about back pain: What do members of the public think?

The study sought to identify and explore the opinions, beliefs and views of members of the public regarding the use of media interventions for the delivery of health-care messages. It used a draft back pain campaign looking at the level of credibility, acceptability and trust in the authority of these messages. Sixty-eight members of the public participated in the study. A qualitative study design was used with semi-structured focus groups and a sampling frame including gender, age, socio-economic group, and experience of back pain. Three main themes were identified. 1. Media consumption. 2. Credibility. 3. Specific issues surrounding the proposed sample media campaign. The use of media to provide health-care information was viewed positively, with the NHS perceived as the most trustworthy source, and Government bodies viewed with scepticism. Issues surrounding the language, terminology and tone of campaigns were raised. A closer collaboration between health-care professionals and the public is advocated to achieve valuable and effective media campaigns.

Is breast really best? Risk and total motherhood in the National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign

From June 2004 to April 2006, cosponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council, the National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign (NBAC) warned women that not breast-feeding put babies at risk for a variety of health problems. "You'd never take risks before your baby is born. Why start after?" asked televised public service announcements over images of pregnant women logrolling and riding a mechanical bull. The NBAC, and particularly its message of fear, neglected fundamental ethical principles regarding evidence quality, message framing, and cultural sensitivity in public health campaigns. The campaign was based on research that is inconsistent, lacks strong associations, and does not account for plausible confounding variables, such as the role of parental behavior, in various health outcomes. It capitalized on public misunderstanding of risk and risk assessment by portraying infant nutrition as a matter of safety versus danger and then creating spurious analogies. It also exploited deep-seated normative assumptions about the responsibility that mothers have to protect babies and children from harm and was insufficiently attentive to the psychological, socioeconomic, and political concerns of its intended audience. Critical analysis of the NBAC suggests that future health campaigns would benefit from more diverse review panels and from a greater focus on providing accurate risk information about probabilities and trade-offs in order to enable informed decision making.

Jornalismo científico e risco epidemiológico

A importância dos meios de comunicação na construção simbólica tem sido reconhecida por diversos segmentos. Dentre as inúmeras matérias nos jornais diários sobre saúde, muitas se referem a estudos médicos cujas fontes são publicações científicas tendo como foco um novo risco. A divulgação nos meios de comunicação de massa sobre os estudos de risco também é tema de editoriais e artigos em revistas científicas, enfocando o problema das distorções e a elaboração de notícias contraditórias. O presente artigo tem como objetivo explorar os significados e conteúdos da divulgação científica dos estudos sobre risco nos jornais diários de grande circulação. Foram analisadas as notícias e as respectivas publicações científicas que serviram de fonte durante o ano de 2000. Observou-se que "risco" é apresentado nas pesquisas científicas como uma "caixa preta" na acepção de Latour e que as notícias ocultam as controvérsias científicas e atribuem uma dimensão maior à associação entre hábitos comportamentais e a ocorrência das doenças, ressaltando ainda mais os aspectos individuais da abordagem epidemiológica em detrimento do enfoque coletivo.

Do journals have a publication bias?

The timely publication of accurate and unbiased results of research is necessary to ensure that the knowledge gained is effectively shared with both the scientific community and the public. The ability to publish will be dependent not only on the significance of the findings, but also on the editorial staff of the journal and the peer review process. The manner in which the peer review process can be influenced by a journal's staff, as well as by the potential bias of reviewers, needs appreciation. Additionally, the routine practice of a journal providing copies of articles and press releases related to those articles in advance of the journal's publication and general availability requires evaluation.

Changes in newspaper coverage about hormone therapy with the release of new medical evidence

BACKGROUND

Results of 2 trials of postmenopausal hormone therapy (HT) challenged established practice patterns; 1 was not associated with changes in HT use, whereas the other was associated with substantial decline. Differential coverage by lay newspapers may have contributed to the differential impact.

OBJECTIVE

To examine newspaper coverage of HT before and after the publication of the Heart and Estrogen Replacement Study (HERS) in August 1998, and the main findings of the estrogen plus progestin therapy arm of the Women's Health Initiative (EPT-WHI) in July 2002.

DESIGN

Longitudinal review of newspaper articles, 1998 to 2003 (n=663).

SETTING

Twenty local and 6 regional/national newspapers.

MEASUREMENTS

Number and content of articles about HT.

RESULTS

The average number of articles about HT published during the month of the publication of the EPT-WHI was at least 8-fold greater than the number of articles published on the topic during any prior period. While the majority of articles in all periods presented information about the potential benefits of HT, information about harms became more common than information about benefits during the 2 months before the publication of the EPT-WHI, when the trial participants were notified of the early termination of the study. The presentation of specific health harms was more common after the publication of the EPT-WHI than after the publication of HERS. Few articles in any period used visual aids.

CONCLUSIONS

The publication of the EPT-WHI was associated with a change in both the volume and content of newspaper coverage about HT.

Media reporting of tenofovir trials in Cambodia and Cameroon

BACKGROUND

Two planned trials of pre-exposure prophylaxis tenofovir in Cambodia and Cameroon to prevent HIV infection in high-risk populations were closed due to activist pressure on host country governments. The international news media contributed substantially as the primary source of knowledge transfer regarding the trials. We aimed to characterize the nature of reporting, specifically focusing on the issues identified by media reports regarding each trial.

METHODS

With the aid of an information specialist, we searched 3 electronic media databases, 5 electronic medical databases and extensively searched the Internet. In addition we contacted stakeholder groups. We included media reports addressing the trial closures, the reasons for the trial closures, and who was interviewed. We extracted data using content analysis independently, in duplicate.

RESULTS

We included 24 reports on the Cambodian trial closure and 13 reports on the Cameroon trial closure. One academic news account incorrectly reported that it was an HIV vaccine trial that closed early. The primary reasons cited for the Cambodian trial closure were: a lack of medical insurance for trial related injuries (71%); human rights considerations (71%); study protocol concerns (46%); general suspicions regarding trial location (37%) and inadequate prevention counseling (29%). The primary reasons cited for the Cameroon trial closure were: inadequate access to care for seroconverters (69%); participants not sufficiently informed of risks (69%); inadequate number of staff (46%); participants being exploited (46%) and an unethical study design (38%). Only 3/23 (13%) reports acknowledged interviewing research personnel regarding the Cambodian trial, while 4/13 (30.8%) reports interviewed researchers involved in the Cameroon trial.

CONCLUSION

Our review indicates that the issues addressed and validity of the media reports of these trials is highly variable. Given the potential impact of the media in formulation of health policy related to HIV, efforts are needed to effectively engage the media during periods of controversy in the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Biotechnology and the popular press: hype and the selling of science

The popular media has emerged as an important source of scientific information. It has been suggested that the portrayal of genetics by the media is often inaccurate--a phenomenon branded 'genohype'--and, as a result, is having an adverse impact on public understanding and policy development. However, emerging data suggest that, in some circumstances, the media reporting of science is surprisingly accurate and portrays a message created by the scientific community. As such, there are reasons to believe that the hyping of research results might be part of a more systemic problem associated with the increasingly commercial nature of the research environment.

Psychology in the prescription era: building a firewall between marketing and science

The pharmaceutical industry has contributed to many life-saving innovations in medicine and has become one of the most successful industries in the world. As a result, pharmaceutical industry financial and marketing influences extend to federal regulatory agencies, professional organizations, medical journals, continuing medical education, scientific researchers, media experts, and consumer advocacy organizations. These extensive influences have created conflicts of interest that have undermined the credibility of medical research and education. As professional psychology pursues and achieves prescription privileges, it will likely be faced with increasing influences from the industry. To preserve the integrity of psychological science, the authors propose an aspirational "firewall" designed to separate industry marketing from the science of psychology.

The Provenance of Ideas: Constructing a Scientific Bibliography

In preliterate times, information was transmitted orally from person to person. The usefulness of this information relied on the accuracy and completeness of its transmission. The way to verify the quality of the material (and therefore its usefulness) was to obtain it from a speaker or speakers whose accuracy was personally known to the listener or whose reliability was vouched for by other knowledgeable sources. When published scientific and medical journals came into being, similar safeguards were adopted, summarized in the form of the bibliography. The role of the journal is to provide an environment for the dissemination of ideas while giving the reader reasonable assurance that the material is genuine, correct, and uninfluenced by the author's financial interests. The purpose of the scientific journal bibliography is to document the author s sources of information while establishing its validity and trustworthiness to the reader

What is newsworthy? Longitudinal study of the reporting of medical research in two British newspapers

OBJECTIVE

To assess the characteristics of medical research that is press released by general medical journals and reported in newspapers.

DESIGN

Longitudinal study.

DATA SOURCES

All original research articles published in Lancet and BMJ during 1999 and 2000.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Inclusion of articles in Lancet or BMJ press releases, and reporting of articles in Times or Sun newspapers.

RESULTS

Of 1193 original research articles, 517 (43%) were highlighted in a press release and 81 (7%) were reported in one or both newspapers. All articles covered in newspapers had been press released. The probability of inclusion in press releases was similar for observational studies and randomised controlled trials, but trials were less likely to be covered in the newspapers (odds ratio 0.15 (95% confidence interval 0.06 to 0.37)). Good news and bad news were equally likely to be press released, but bad news was more likely to be reported in newspapers (1.74 (1.07 to 2.83)). Studies of women's health, reproduction, and cancer were more likely to be press released and covered in newspapers. Studies from industrialised countries other than Britain were less likely to be reported in newspapers (0.51 (0.31 to 0.82)), and no studies from developing countries were covered.

CONCLUSIONS

Characteristics of articles were more strongly associated with selection for reporting in newspapers than with selection for inclusion in press releases, although each stage influenced the reporting process. Newspapers underreported randomised trials, emphasised bad news from observational studies, and ignored research from developing countries.

Impact of the media and the internet on oncology: survey of cancer patients and oncologists in Canada

PURPOSE

To evaluate the use of the news media and the Internet as sources of medical information by patients and oncologists in Canada and to investigate the impact on patients' treatment decisions and the patient-doctor relationship.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

During a 2-week period, 191 ambulatory patients participated in the survey. Questionnaires were also mailed to Canadian oncologists: 410 of 686 questionnaires were returned (response rate = 60%).

RESULTS

Of the 191 patients, 86% wanted as much information as possible about their illness, 54% reported receiving insufficient information, 83% cited physicians as their primary information source, and 7% cited the Internet. Seventy-one percent of patients actively searched for information, and 50% used the Internet. Patients' opinions about the balance, accuracy, and relevance of news media reports were evenly split. English as the first language, access to the Internet, and use of alternative treatments predicted a higher rate of information seeking. Most oncologists routinely pay some attention to medical news and believe that it is difficult for patients to interpret medical information in the media and on the Internet accurately. Both patients and oncologists agree that information seeking does not affect the patient-physician relationship.

CONCLUSION

Information searching is common among cancer patients in Canada. It does not affect the patient-doctor relationship. The media and the Internet are powerful means of medical information dissemination. Strategic efforts are needed to improve the quality of medical news reporting by the media, and to provide guidance for patients to understand their disease and interpret such information better.

[Media impact of the SESPAS (Spanish Public Health Association) 2000 report]]

OBJECTIVE

To measure the mediatic effect of different communication strategies used in public health advocacy. More specifically, to compare the effectiveness of the World Wide Web as a tool to attract the attention of journalists, with other more traditional formulas.

METHODS

For the Spanish Public Health Association (SESPAS) Report 2000, two types of media strategies to communicate the report contents were programmed: a) traditional and passive strategies, centred in approaching journalists through press releases and press conferences around the SESPAS meeting (November 15-20 1999); b) interactive strategies, since August 15 to December 30, focused towards attracting health journalists to the non-embargoed, full text SESPAS report launched in a web site. To facilitate the web page use, we wrote a letter, in the first week of August, to all the members of the Spanish Health Communicators Association giving them the URL and the website map. In parallel, a monitoring system of the media impact was established from August to December 99, covering 250 magazines and 70 newspapers, in order to locate and recover all the stories about the SESPAS report for further analysis.

RESULTS

Sixty-six stories were recovered; they were published in 32 press media from 24 provinces with an advertising value of 18,243,873 Ptas. As a whole, smaller circulation rate papers published more stories than larger ones. During five months, the SESPAS report was present in the press agenda, even though stories were not distributed homogeneously over time. Information concentrated around three moments: the first one, a week after our summer mailing; the second one, in the occasion of the publication of a story about the increase in traffic accidents in El País, and the third one during the SESPAS meeting. There were significant differences among those stories published from the traditional strategies of communication and those published from the interactive ones, the latter being more diverse, with more contributions of the journalists and tackling a wider range of issues.

CONCLUSIONS

The combination of traditional and alternative communication strategies was a effective option. Unlike previous experiences in this occasion, with the network aid, the presence of SESPAS in media was not punctual around the Congress, but maintained during five months. The results and the obtained experience of this research can be useful for future public health advocacy interventions in Spain.