By
Brian Bass
Submitted On February 04, 2009
Once again, the issue of the use of medical writers who work with
physician authors to develop manuscripts for publication in medical
journals rears its head in the media, in an article published in the
December 12, 2008 issue of the New York Times and in an article
published in the December 13, 2008 issue of Wall Street Journal.
The articles cite an investigation by Senator Charles E. Grassley into whether pharmaceutical giant Wyeth recruited and paid physicians to put their names on journal manuscripts that were already written. This particular situation is just one part of an ongoing investigation by Senator Grassley, a member of the Senate Finance Committee who is trying to determine what, if any, influence the pharmaceutical industry has on physicians. An unfortunate consequence of this article is the naming of a reputable medical communications firm, whom Wyeth hired to assist with the creation and placement of these journal manuscripts and, indirectly, the suggestion that such firms-and the medical writers they hire-inherently engage in unethical practices when crafting manuscripts.
While pharmaceutical companies are in business to make money, the suggestion that medical writers and medical communications firms are inherently unethical couldn't be farther from the truth. Have questionable and possibly deceptive practices taken place in the past? I'm sure they have. Once upon a time, it was perfectly acceptable to keep the contribution of medical writers invisible. More recently, the contribution of medical writers has come out of the shadows and begun to be rightfully acknowledged. Of course, with this acknowledgement comes responsibility-including the responsibility of medical writers and others who contribute substantially to the content of a manuscript, to report any potential conflicts of interest. Today, medical writers and medical communications firms must adhere to strict guidelines when it comes to creating journal articles that report on the outcomes of clinical trials that will appear in reputable medical journals.
An unspoken issue here that has been overlooked relates to the skills needed to write an accurate yet readable manuscript. Writing is a skill, one that some folks have innately, but one that others must learn. Writers know how to write; physicians know how to diagnose and manage diseases. As writers, we must have a solid understanding of the science behind what we are writing, but we rely on the expertise of the physicians with whom we work to direct us and keep us on track. Likewise, physicians must have a solid understanding of what they want to communicate, but they rely on medical writers to construct informative and understandable prose. It can no more be assumed that a physician can write than that a teacher can cook. Medicine and writing are separate skills with separate prerequisites.
Every pharmaceutical company has a medical writing department with writers who create documents to very precise standards. Medical communications firms exist to assist pharmaceutical companies with those tasks. Such medical writers are skilled at organizing medical information and making complex scientific information readable and understandable. In the same vein, pharmaceutical companies hire statisticians to crunch the results of clinical trials and identify significant trends and outcomes. We've never understood why it's perfectly acceptable to use statisticians to assist physicians in the content of their manuscripts, but unacceptable to use a medical writer to assist physicians in putting their thoughts coherently on paper.
Let's not allow the valuable contributions of medical writers to be thrashed in this controversy. Instead, let's use this as an opportunity to advance the call for all medical writers who are involved in the development of manuscripts for publication in medical journals to be acknowledged for their contributions and held to the same standards of quality and ethics as physician authors.
Article Resources
AMWA Position Statement on the Contributions of Medical Writers to Scientific Publications: http://www.amwa.org
New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/13/business/13wyeth.html?_r=1
The articles cite an investigation by Senator Charles E. Grassley into whether pharmaceutical giant Wyeth recruited and paid physicians to put their names on journal manuscripts that were already written. This particular situation is just one part of an ongoing investigation by Senator Grassley, a member of the Senate Finance Committee who is trying to determine what, if any, influence the pharmaceutical industry has on physicians. An unfortunate consequence of this article is the naming of a reputable medical communications firm, whom Wyeth hired to assist with the creation and placement of these journal manuscripts and, indirectly, the suggestion that such firms-and the medical writers they hire-inherently engage in unethical practices when crafting manuscripts.
While pharmaceutical companies are in business to make money, the suggestion that medical writers and medical communications firms are inherently unethical couldn't be farther from the truth. Have questionable and possibly deceptive practices taken place in the past? I'm sure they have. Once upon a time, it was perfectly acceptable to keep the contribution of medical writers invisible. More recently, the contribution of medical writers has come out of the shadows and begun to be rightfully acknowledged. Of course, with this acknowledgement comes responsibility-including the responsibility of medical writers and others who contribute substantially to the content of a manuscript, to report any potential conflicts of interest. Today, medical writers and medical communications firms must adhere to strict guidelines when it comes to creating journal articles that report on the outcomes of clinical trials that will appear in reputable medical journals.
An unspoken issue here that has been overlooked relates to the skills needed to write an accurate yet readable manuscript. Writing is a skill, one that some folks have innately, but one that others must learn. Writers know how to write; physicians know how to diagnose and manage diseases. As writers, we must have a solid understanding of the science behind what we are writing, but we rely on the expertise of the physicians with whom we work to direct us and keep us on track. Likewise, physicians must have a solid understanding of what they want to communicate, but they rely on medical writers to construct informative and understandable prose. It can no more be assumed that a physician can write than that a teacher can cook. Medicine and writing are separate skills with separate prerequisites.
Every pharmaceutical company has a medical writing department with writers who create documents to very precise standards. Medical communications firms exist to assist pharmaceutical companies with those tasks. Such medical writers are skilled at organizing medical information and making complex scientific information readable and understandable. In the same vein, pharmaceutical companies hire statisticians to crunch the results of clinical trials and identify significant trends and outcomes. We've never understood why it's perfectly acceptable to use statisticians to assist physicians in the content of their manuscripts, but unacceptable to use a medical writer to assist physicians in putting their thoughts coherently on paper.
Let's not allow the valuable contributions of medical writers to be thrashed in this controversy. Instead, let's use this as an opportunity to advance the call for all medical writers who are involved in the development of manuscripts for publication in medical journals to be acknowledged for their contributions and held to the same standards of quality and ethics as physician authors.
Article Resources
AMWA Position Statement on the Contributions of Medical Writers to Scientific Publications: http://www.amwa.org
New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/13/business/13wyeth.html?_r=1
For more information on this subject, check out the AMWA Position Statement on the Contributions of Medical Writers to Scientific Publications (AMWAJ).
Brian Bass
Co-Author of The Accidental Medical Writer
http://www.theaccidentalmedicalwriter.com
The Accidental Medical Writer is for everyone who is frustrated with working for someone else. For everyone who wants the freedom and security that freelance medical writing can help them achieve. Visit our website at the link above for information, inspiration, strategies, lessons, and tips to help you become a successful freelance medical writer, too.
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Brian Bass
Co-Author of The Accidental Medical Writer
http://www.theaccidentalmedicalwriter.com
The Accidental Medical Writer is for everyone who is frustrated with working for someone else. For everyone who wants the freedom and security that freelance medical writing can help them achieve. Visit our website at the link above for information, inspiration, strategies, lessons, and tips to help you become a successful freelance medical writer, too.
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