Journalism
I started my freelance career writing for MIMS Magazine and over the years I've contributed to GP, Doctor, Hospital Doctor (and some titles that are no longer with us). For several years I had a regular column in Chemist and Druggist and for a while I even had a 100-word column about minor ailments for Best magazine. Nowadays my journalist work is largely for John Wiley and Sons' titles.
Prescriber news
Prescriber is a twice-monthly peer-reviewed journal for health professionals with a special interest in prescribing and medicines management. I write the news stories that front every issue, focusing on factual analysis and interpretation of clinical developments. I identify potential stories from current awareness services, research them, and write a spin-free and readable summary of the key findings so that readers can decide what they think for themselves.
You can find examples of Prescriber news stories at www.escriber.com.
Prescriber features
Every issue of Prescriber includes several 800 - 1200-word features. I write analytical pieces that make official reports, Government papers and prescribing statistics more accessible.
One interesting example is a review of Scriptswitch, a computer tool to modify drug selection at the time a GP makes a prescribing decision. At the time, several PCTs were using Scriptswitch to control prescribing costs but little had been published about its pros and cons. I did some background research, had a group interview with the company's senior staff and identified and interviewed some NHS users. Scriptswitch were even kind enough to drop by and give me a one-to-one demonstration.
Other recent features include a summary of the OFT report on the PPRS and a review of the problem of counterfeits in the UK.
New Drug Appraisals
These days we don’t get as many new drugs as we used to but what we do get can be highly technical, potentially costly and supported by reams of clinical papers. It helps GPs if they can get a handle on the key data, which is what we do with Prescriber new product appraisals. I summarise the drug's pharmacology and indications, and the evidence of efficacy and safety from the pivotal clinical trials. A senior clinician puts the data into perspective. Products covered to date include varenicline for smoking cessation, darifenacin for OAB, and the HPV vaccine Gardasil.