There's a new player in the world of medical literature.
A Stanford University Medical Center neurosurgeon has started The Cureus Journal of Medical Science—pronounced “curious”—which allows doctors to share case studies from their patients online, according to Wired.
“Most case reports are undocumented beyond just two surgeons talking over a scrub sink,” the journal’s founder, John R. Adler, M.D., told the publication. “Not enough of those stories get told.”
RELATED: Researchers, healthcare providers navigate a new era of data sharing
The premise of the new journal is to allow doctors to benefit from case studies from other physicians. Unlike paywalled, traditional medical journals, the information is freely available on the online publishing platform. Doctors can read about cases, such as spontaneous isolated celiac artery dissection, or a new process of care for online adaptive radiation therapy.
'A Case of Spontaneous Isolated Celiac Artery Dissection with Pseudoaneurysm Formation' by Kim et al. https://t.co/uGTpuakNif
— Cureus (@CureusInc) August 29, 2017
Adler hopes to build a comprehensive library of medical case studies by creating the first and only peer-reviewed publication that offers step-by-step templates for authors. The case reports are detailed accounts of an individual patient’s symptoms, diagnosis and treatment response rather than research based on large cohort studies and long-term trials.
RELATED: Journal pulls article over gender gaffe that refers to surgeons with only male pronouns
Unlike traditional medical journals, which charge publishing fees and take months to publish research, the Cureus website promises no fees and case studies published in days. Adler says the case reports have educational value and may be useful in establishing patterns.