Journalism
I started my freelance career writing for MIMS Magazine and over the years I've contributed to GP, Doctor, Hospital Doctor (and some other 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 work is largely for the publisher Wiley.
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 prescribing issues, 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. PCTs are using Scriptswitch to control prescribing costs. I first reviewed it in 2005, interviewing the company's senior staff and NHS users. I revisited it after 3 years as evidence of cost saving emerged. The devil was in the detail - changes to apparently mundane products yielded large savings for PCTs.
Other recent features include a review of the Government’s plans for the prescription charge in England and a summary of the National Audit Office review of prescribing savings by GPs
New Product Reviews
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 we've recently covered include ustekinumab , nicotinic acid/laropiprant and Qlaira.