Statistics Myth Busters: Dispelling Common Misperceptions Held by Readers of the Biomedical Literature

The Medical Information Scientific Process: Define, Research, Evaluate, Synthesize, and Share (DRESS)

Medical information (MI) professionals are primarily responsible for researching and responding to unsolicited requests for information on their company’s product(s). In an effort to set a standard for quality, the Pharma Collaboration for Transparent Medical Information (phactMI) created a code of practice for the provision of medical information to healthcare professionals. This code introduced the term “MI science skills” to describe the expertise required to perform the duties of an MI professional. These skills can be summarized by the acronym DRESS. In order to effectively and efficiently respond to an unsolicited request for information, the MI professional essentially follows five steps: define the question, research the topic, evaluate the evidence, synthesize a response, and share the answer. As this approach mirrors the scientific process for data generation, MI scientist may be a more apt description for this role. This paper explains the rationale behind the term MI scientist and the skills associated with each component of the DRESS approach.