So, You Want to Publish Your Medical Education Paper in Academic Medicine - The @AcadMedJournal Editors Share Their Tips

So, You Want to Publish Your Medical Education Paper in Academic Medicine - The @AcadMedJournal Editors Share Their Tips

By Bruce H. Campbell, MD FACS

Dr. Campbell, who curates the blog, shares highlights of a recent podcast moderated by Toni Gallo, the Academic Medicine staff editor, with practical tips that will smooth your way into publishing in the journal ...

Happy New Year! Maybe one of your resolutions this year is to publish a MedEd article in a top-tier journal. You can do it!

To make it more likely, the editors of Academic Medicine created an Academic Medicine Podcast (12/19/2022) where the people who help decide what will get into print offer a peak behind the curtain. The episode is entitled “Writing Effectively and Navigating the Publication Process."

First of all, here are links to online medical writing resources: 

• Fostering Scholarship in Medical Education: Resources for Authors and Reviewers
• The Conducting Research in Health Professions Education: From Idea to Publication eBook
• The Writer’s Craft section in the journal Perspectives on Medical Education  
• Review Criteria for Research Manuscripts
• Scholarly Publishing Webinar Series

Below are tips and suggestions that each editor offers. As you prepare your manuscript, remember that folks like these editors will eventually be reading it. 

Colin West, MD, PhD (Deputy Editor, Professor of Medicine, Medical Education, and Biostatistics, Mayo Clinic) 

Three things to think about when preparing a manuscript:

• Be clear on how a practical application of your work bridges the gap from theory to practice without overstating your findings
• Be clear about the paper’s place in the field of study
• Be honest and thoughtful about the paper’s limitations

Jonathan Michael Amiel, MD (Assistant Editor, Professor of Psychiatry and Senior Associate Dean for Innovation in Health Professions Education, Columbia University)

Things he hopes to see when reviewing a submission:

• A clear demonstration of how the work helps make medical education better
• The paper doesn’t overreach; rather it takes a “small bite” and rigorously addresses the problem

Laura E. Hirschfield, PhD (Assistant Editor, Associate Professor of Medical Education and Sociology, University of Illinois-Chicago) 

Things she looks for when reviewing a submission:

• A clear demonstration that the authors have engaged with the foundational papers and authors in relevant fields, even if outside the traditional MedEd disciplines. 
• A well-demonstrated link between the research question or topic and the research design 

Gustavo Patino, MD, PhD (Assistant Editor, Associate Professor of Neuroscience, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine) 

Questions he asks as a reviewer:

• Do the authors clearly articulate the research question?
• Have they described the knowledge gap? 
• What was the genesis of the idea? 
• Why is it important that this question be answered? 
• Are the research methods and study design appropriate to answer the question? 
• In the Discussion, are the claims and takeaway points consistent with the Methods and Results? 

Dan Schumacher, MD, PhD, Med (Assistant Editor, Associate Professor, University of Cincinnati)

His advice to authors:

• Pay attention to Lorelei Lingard’s idea of “It’s a Story, Not a Study.” Tell the reader why it’s important, what you found, and why what you found is important.
• Rely on well-crafted research questions and matching methodologies. 
• Write with clarity.

John H. Coverdale, MD (Associate Editor, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine)

His advice to authors:

• For both qualitative and quantitative research, make the Methods section crystal clear.  Explain how the design relates to the research question or hypothesis, including how it is appropriate to the question.

Mary Beth DeVilbiss (Managing editor)

What she likes to see in the visuals:

• Exhibits, tables, figures, charts should have a clear purpose and add value.
• Visuals that enhance and illuminate the text, but never repeat it. 

Teresa Chan, MD, MHPE (Associate editor)

How she describes the Academic Medicine "Innovation Reports": 

• They are a first stab at a new way of doing things that builds on previous literature but then tweaks it in a novel way. Outline the problem, outline the approach, and always provide a reflective component.

Bridget O’Brien, PhD (Deputy editor, Adjunct Professor of Medicine, UCSF)

Things she suggests to authors before they submit a manuscript: 

• Read through the manuscript three times before submitting. 
• Read as an author. Make certain arguments flow and that essential details are covered. 
• Read as a reviewer. Try to apply the manuscript review criteria you use to your own work. 
• Read as a reader. Is it interesting? Do you skip sections? Does it make sense?
• Then ask others to read your manuscript from these perspectives, as well. 

Tony Artino, PhD (Assistant Editor for Last Pages, Professor at the George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences)

Reactions he suggests you have if you are asked to “revise and resubmit”:

• A revision request is a win, right? Don’t be discouraged! It is better to get it right before publication than after.
• Revisions always result in a better paper. 
• (Tongue-in-cheek) Editors and reviewers are always right. Realize that arguing only delays getting your manuscript into print. 
• Remember that medical and health professions education is a very small world. Your work might end up in the hands of the same reviewers if you re-submit to another journal. So, be gracious.

That should get you started. Happy writing!

Bruce H. Campbell, MD, FACS, is a Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences and in the Institute for Health and Equity (Bioethics and Medical Humanities) at MCW. He is on the editorial board of the Transformational Times and a member of the Faculty Pillar of the Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Institute for the Transformation of Medical Education. He has published two Innovation Reports in Academic Medicine and still learned some stuff listening to and summarizing this podcast. 

Sit Down, Get Paged, Repeat

From the December 23, 2022 issue of the Transformational Times 

 

Sit Down, Get Paged, Repeat

 

By Laura Slykhouse, MD

 

At this time of year, we celebrate and thank our hard-working residents and hospital staff that work through the nights, weekends, and holidays. Dr. Slykhouse, a resident in Internal Medicine, recounts a call night that was also her birthday. She shares some moments which are specific to being in the hospital overnight… 

 

Birthdays have a way of getting less and less exciting each year. Yes, there are some milestone birthdays we celebrate as we get older; but, as the years march on, enthusiasm lacks compared to a sweet sixteenth or a twenty-first birthday. This year, I see my schedule for June and of course, I’ll be celebrating my birthday at Froedtert at the end of a twenty-eight-hour shift. 

I readjust my expectations and wish for a calm night, good cross-cover, no ICU transfers, and friends to make the time go faster. The night is off to a good start when my favorite co-resident is pulled in to cover the night portion of the shift with me. I was obviously more excited than she was, but the night was looking promising.  

We get sign-out, nothing exciting. Then we start brainstorming our evening – what kind of food are we going to order, which movies do we hope to watch in the team room and what music should we listen to. We’re not even five minutes into our planning when two pages come through – it’s the admitting medical officer (AMO) with two outside hospital transfers who are already on the floor: one with metastatic lesions to the brain and concern for increased intracranial pressure, the other one for AMS (altered mental status) in an elderly woman. This would be the last quiet moment of the evening.  

We decide to see the patient with concern for increased intracranial pressure first. He does not appear as sick as his labs and imaging have detailed. This is one of those times in residency where I feel the sense that a patient could decompensate quickly, but next steps are not clear. I feel uneasy about this patient. We call the neurosurgical team, and they also share our concerns and take over care of the patient in the Neuro ICU. The patient and his wife are very grateful for our small contribution to his care.  

Then the cross-cover begins. Two stroke calls, status epilepticus, a transfer to the Neuro ICU and Medical ICU. This is not the night I had planned when the shift started. However, time is passing quickly as we try to triage the patients and deal with one situation at a time.  

It’s now midnight, and I’m happy there are still a few options left on Door Dash, as I have been craving Mexican food the whole night. This would not be a night for a movie. The chaos continues throughout the night, page after page, almost comical with the timing – sit down, page, sit down, page. The food delivery has been there for hours, but something about a lukewarm burrito at 4:00 AM is less appetizing.  

The last crisis of the night is the elderly woman admitted for AMS. She has dementia and hypercalcemia. We give IV calcitonin and a bisphosphonate which causes diffuse body aches. She speaks both German and English intermittently. I find myself drawn to her. I’m not sure if it’s because she reminds me of my grandma or because I feel guilty that our treatment has caused her pain. I hold her hand for a while, and she seems to feel some relief from the IV pain medication. Just this small point of contact makes the night seem less frenetic. It reminds me why I enjoy what I’m doing, even during the difficult nights, the missed holidays and celebrations.  

It’s 6:00 AM and we re-group in the team room. The window for sleeping has passed, and it’s evident I’ll need a significant amount of coffee to make it through rounds. We debrief quickly, cold burritos are half-eaten and abandoned next to the computers, and I feel proud. I learned a lot, we gave the best care that we could, and another call shift is over.  

 

Laura Slykhouse, MD, is a PGY3 Internal Medicine resident at MCW who is planning to start her career in hospital medicine.   

Design Thinking in Action: Medical Students Weigh-In on the Mobile Health Clinic

From the December 23, 2022 issue of the Transformational Times

Perspective/Opinion 

Design Thinking in Action: Medical Students Weigh-In on the Mobile Health Clinic 

 

By Emmy Lambert, BS – Medical Student 

Patient-centered care calls for patient-centered spaces. Medical students were given the opportunity to dust off their creative brains and ponder the details, big and small, of an exciting new mobile clinic…  

Human-Centered Design. It’s all around us. Or at least, it should be… 

Simply put, human-centered design is a method of empathy-based problem-solving. Through a three-phase design process of inspiration, ideation, and implementation, human-centered design tailors products towards those involved in their use – so-called “stakeholders.” These stakeholders are consulted and considered in every step of the design process to ensure the output will meet their needs. Truly an ingenious approach, if you ask me.   

They’re building a WHAT? A mobile clinic! 

In an effort to address preventative health screening disparities in certain zip codes in Milwaukee, there is a joint venture between the Population Health Department and OB/GYN Clinic at Froedtert Hospital, the Kern Institute’s Human-Centered Design (HCD) Lab, and the UW-Milwaukee Lubar Entrepreneurship Center to design and implement a Women’s* Mobile Health Clinic. The working timeline aims to complete research by the end of the 2022 calendar year, build the clinic in late spring of 2023, and begin providing care next fall.   

As part of the ongoing research process, the HCD lab hosted a design workshop for second-year medical students in the Health Systems Management & Policy Pathway. As a student member of the HCD lab for nearly a year, I had the privilege of facilitating this session with Dr. Ilya Avdeev and Dr. Lana Minshew. As a team, we guided students through a series of activities to stimulate creativity and prime their listening skills before conducting design research for the clinic.   

We asked the HSMP students to brainstorm the needs of a women’s mobile health clinic, identify stakeholders, and generate solutions to a few stakeholder concerns. Students collaborated in teams, writing furiously on sticky notes, whiteboards, and scrap paper. The room was abuzz with solution-oriented energy. Their knowledge of health systems and roles as medical students added a unique perspective to the ongoing project. Some of Dr. Avdeev’s graduate-level engineering students attended the session as well, lending a different angle of design understanding to the process.    

The students said they loved it! 

The session was well received by the students. Clayton Vesperman, M2, commented, “I thought that the Mobile Clinic Design session was one of the most unique and engaging sessions I have had as part of the Health Systems Management and Policy pathway. The opportunity to collaborate with Engineering students who had a background that was outside of the medical field was a great opportunity to learn how other fields approach problems as well as the types of issues they prioritize. As medical students, we have abundant opportunities to learn from other health professions, but learning to work alongside entirely different fields can be very beneficial as they can play a large impact in the patient experience even without directly influencing the patients’ healthcare.”  

Victoria Le, an M2 also in the HSMP Pathway, commented, “I thought it was interesting to see the process of working through nitty-gritty details of making an idea come to life. I liked how thorough it was, including the way we tried to anticipate different issues that would be roadblocks to the mobile clinic. I also thought it was a good way to balance the creative process with a more rigorous evaluation of ideas.”  

My takeaway? 

I was so impressed with the creativity and collaboration demonstrated by my peers! Their willingness to engage across disciplines, work together to problem solve, and experience medicine from the patient perspective is promising for the future of medicine. A few of the ideas presented at this workshop have been considered for the ultimate implementation of the mobile health clinic, which is set to hit the streets in the fall of 2023.   

Design with us! 

The Human-Centered Design lab is currently collaborating with the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and Froedtert hospital on a community-centered design project focused on designing two mobile health clinics to serve the greater Milwaukee area. To create the most effective community-centered design as possible, we invite community members to join the design team by sharing your experience with mobile healthcare or offering your ideas using a full-scale clinic design model. The model is in the first-floor cafeteria lobby of the MCW – Medical Education Building and will be open to everyone through January 31, 2023.   

Note: 

*The term “women” encompasses those who identify as female, possess female reproductive anatomy, or face female-related health issues. 

Emmy Lambert is currently an M2 at MCW Milwaukee. She is a student member of the Human-Centered Design Lab pillar of the Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Institute for the Transformation of Medical Education. She passionately co-runs the MCW Chapter of Medical Students for Choice, manages operations of MCW DOSE, and teaches Hatha and yin yoga classes at Collective Flow MKE.