Index of 2010
Evidence based footcare
I'm training for a marathon at the moment (and it's in aid of Cancer Research UK, which is an excellent cause, so please sponsor me here), and all the running has given me some nasty blisters on my feet.
So I went to see a podiatrist yesterday to try to make sure that the blisters are under control in time for the big day. She put a dressing on which seemed to make my blisters pain free on my run this morning, which is a good start.
Continue reading→Facebook does not give you syphilis
There is a beautiful aria in Rossini's opera "The Barber of Seville" called "La calunnia รจ un venticello". Watch it on YouTube here if you don't know it. It tells of how easy it is to start a rumour very gently and for the rumour then to take on a life of its own and get totally out of control.
Continue reading→What skills do medical writers need?
What are the skills needed to be a medical writer? Teamworking and diplomacy, definitely, and a thorough understanding of the science is also essential. But what about language skills? Continue reading→CDISC protocol representation model released
Regular readers of this blog may remember that I was quite excited when the draft of the CDISC protocol representation model (PRM) was released last year. I am delighted to be able to tell you that the final version of the model was released last month. Again, I am quite excited.
Continue reading→ICR conference 2010
We will be exhibiting at the ICR conference on 19-20 April. Please come and see us on stand 7 if you're going to be there.
Continue reading→Mission impenetrable
I've just returned from a 1-day conference organised by the National Research Ethics Service. I can't say I've finished the day with a wonderful sense of optimism about the future of ethical review of clinical research.
The day began with a talk that was supposed to be an update about what NRES was doing. In fact it was mainly about NRES's mission statement, the drafting of which seems to have occupied an outrageously disporportionate amount of NRES's intellectual efforts. As I wrote on my feedback form for the event, this focus on writing a mission statment shows "an alarming lack of perspective". Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but I've never really seen the point of any mission statement that doesn't begin with the words "Your mission, should you decide to accept it...". Did the Pharaohs have a mission statement when they built the pyramids? Did Nelson have a mission statement at Trafalgar? You wonder how much could have been achieved if all the effort that had clearly gone into the (as yet unfinished) mission statement had been spent on doing something useful instead.
Continue reading→Peer review of stem cell research
I heard an interesting story on the radio this morning about stem cell research. It's also reported on the BBC news website, although strangely enough I couldn't find it reported anywhere else in the media.
Continue reading→UK Biobank
I have just received an invitation to take part in the UK Biobank study. I have some serious concerns about their attitude to data protection, and I won't be participating. Continue reading→New team member
I am delighted to announce that as of today we have a new team member at Dianthus. Ruth Allwood has joined us in the role of client support manager. Her role will be to manage all the administration around our projects, take care of finances, keep our clients up to date with status reports, etc.
A hearty welcome to the team to Ruth from all of us at Dianthus Medical.
Continue reading→Last few places available
We still have a small number of places left on our forthcoming introduction to medical writing course, but not very many. If you are considering booking a place on the course, please do so as soon as possible if you want to be sure of a place.
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