The EQUATOR Network, an international initiative that aims to improve the reliability of scientific publications by promoting transparent and accurate reporting of health research, is holding its launch meeting in London, UK on Thursday 26th June 2008.

Despite the efforts of researchers, editors and peer reviewers, some published studies are poorly reported. The use of reporting guidelines can lead to the improved accuracy and transparency of publications and several internationally recognized guidelines (e.g. CONSORT, STARD) have been developed through a collaboration of experts, methodologists and journal editors. But they are still not widely used by researchers or supported by many medical journals.

The aim of the meeting, ‘Achieving transparency in reporting health research,’ is …

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A new Infection thematic review series, led by Dr Steven Opal (Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, USA) has just been launched in Critical Care, with the first article published being a timely paper documenting the global spread of Clostridium difficile.

Described as a good reference for clinicians faced with this issue, the authors Carolyn V Gould and L Clifford McDonald, from the Centers for Disease Control, detail the pathogenesis, diagnosis and possible treatment strategies in this most topical of hospital-acquired infections.  The onus is on healthcare professionals to maintain awareness of the changing epidemiology of the disease, as well introducing measures to reduce the risk to patients.  

In a related commentary, Aurora Pop-Vicas …

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To
commemorate its first year of publication, the Editors-in-Chief of Osteopathic Medicine and Primary Care, John Licciardone and Roberto Cardarelli, have published
an editorial detailing the
progress of the journal  to date, and looking forwards the future.

The
article comments on the
benefits of open access for the community, current submission to publication times and plans
to bring these down to 120 days in 2008, and invites
readers to post comments on published articles. The Editors also detail
information on journal fund they have established to assist with payment of the
article-processing charge.

Osteopathic Medicine and Primary Care publishes articles on all aspects of osteopathic
and allopathic treatment, as well as research relevant to the provision of
primary care …

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Several articles recently published in Trials, BioMed Central’s journal dedicated to investigating any aspect of the design, performance, and findings of
randomized controlled trials, all explore the issue of improving patient recruitment to clinical trials. The five articles highlight a number of factors that can influence the often-challenging recruitment process.

Education
In their report of patient recruitment to the Women’s International Study of long Duration Oestrogen after Menopause (WISDOM) trial, Paine et al., found
that conducting group seminars with potential participants,  providing information about hormone therapy and the trial prior to a screening interview was a useful strategy for maximizing recruitment to this large, long-term trial.

Multi-centre collaboration
Rahbari and colleagues report that the …

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