Arduous Role of Medical Writers in Publication
January 2, 2012 2012-01-02 22:59Arduous Role of Medical Writers in Publication
Arduous Role of Medical Writers in Publication
In the research arena, publication of trials or studies conducted is intended towards society for better understanding of the innovative ideas and concepts. But this it is not the sole motive. Other motives are to implement the conclusion in prescribing habits, healthcare resource utilization, make changes in public health policy or regulatory practices. There are various forms and formats of publication to persuade society to adapt to newer concepts and to bring light new innovations.
There is a lot of pressure on medical writers, to meet the expectations on standards of writing. Often there are many conflicts which interfere with this position e.g. the industry at times demands to sensationalize the writings for various reasons such as raising the standard of effectiveness of investigated products. The gain may be to use these products to enhance the share price at stock exchange. Medical Writers need to be unbiased towards lucrative offers and should instead concentrate on realistic approach for reporting the right results in the right manner for the betterment of society.
“The publication of clinical trials, then, is one example where the clinical trial personnel (acting as medical writer) may become an agent for social change (Gray, 1994)”. When a person acts solely as a medical writer, they must understand their ethical stand point and moral responsibility to represent contents in a fair, balanced, and, above all, accurate manner. It may happen that they have to compromise to the various pressures that are results of process from diverse conflict of funding agencies. Medical Writers may be the authors of clinical trial reports and they inevitably find themselves as the sole responsible for the integrity of ethics and moral code of conduct.