Consumer site will attempt to demystify medical research

Responding to criticism that articles and research they publish are frequently biased in favor of corporate sponsors, several leading academic publishers are backing a website designed to help consumers make sense of conflicting claims. When patientINFORM.org officially launches later this month, it will have the help of powerhouses like the American Cancer Society, the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association.

The site will run abstracts of research appearing in current issues of the New England Journal of Medicine, the Annals of Internal Medicine and other prominent academic publications "translated" so that lay readers can make sense of the material. Interestingly, the Journal of the American Medical Association will not be participating, although summaries of JAMA research will be run on the site. During the pilot phase of the project, the site will concentrate on providing advice for patients with heart disease, diabetes and cancer. The mission is obviously an ambitious one, but one well worth undertaking just the same.

- see this story from The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)
- visit the patientinform.org website

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