Description

There has been a slightly longer than usual interval since the last edition of the CME journal for which we apologise, but this is an exciting point of transition for the Journal and we are optimistic about its future. We have a new sponsorship deal with Procter and Gamble Pharmaceuticals Ltd UK who have agreed to fund no less than 500 subscriptions to the Journal in the UK. This will have, we are sure, a substantial impact on the accessibility of the Journal and our overall impact in the British market. We hope also that medical school and postgraduate centre libraries will take this opportunity to improve their stocks, since the Journal has not hitherto been well represented on library shelves.

The present issue contains the usual mixture of Case Reports and Review Articles, but also a novelty in the form of an audit performed at St George’s Hospital in London. We have previously taken the view that we would not publish original data other than in the form of case reports, since there was neither an intention to compete with journals for whom original data is “life-blood” nor a feeling on our part that original research represented an especially helpful form of the CME or CPD which is our main purpose. When the St George’s authors wrote to us we gave their submission especial attention because it seemed to fall outside our prior definitions. After some reflection by members of the editorial board we have decided not only to accept this paper but also to encourage others completing audit projects to submit them for publication also. A well-constructed audit project has a high yield of CPD for those conducting it, and should provide clear messages for others. It must also be admitted that it is often difficult to find a suitable outlet for audit findings and we hope to help there. As ever comments and criticisms from our readers are welcomed, and I look forward to receiving your thoughts.