How to decide on the type of article for publication

An important HCP engagement strategy for #pharma and #medicaldevices marketers is publications. While most people in #marketing and #medicalaffairs are familiar with the two most common article types- #originalarticle and #reviewarticle, I have often seen confusion and lack of clarity or knowledge about other types and what to choose when. As a result, although budgets are allocated for HCP engagement through publication and the expense is often incurred as well, the desired outcomes are not achieved because publication does not succeed. In this edition of my newsletter, I share a quick reference guide on the same.

To begin with, let us list the article types. Most journal guidelines will not have a list that looks like my list below; however, most of them publish these types of articles provided the article indeed adds value for the readers and is likely to generate interest among the readers. So here is the list:

• research article
• case report or case series
• HCP survey
• patient survey
• narrative review
• expert opinion
• consensus
• systematic review
• systematic review and meta-analysis
• sponsored article

Now let us look at each type in detail.

Research article- While most people think of research articles only in terms of a clinical trial related to a drug or device, surveys also qualify as research. One could conduct HCP surveys to gain insights into the epidemiology or current clinical practices or challenges in treating a disease. However, for it to qualify as research, the sample size must be good. While a sample size of even 50 might be good for a rare disease, for diseases with high prevalence much higher numbers are required. A common mistake I have seen is trying to cover too much in a single survey. I would suggest not going beyond 15 questions and keeping them close-ended. Open-ended questions do not provide any statistical insights. Also, check the currently available literature on the same topic so that your survey is not a repeat of something that has already been done recently. Patient surveys are a wide field that has not been adequately explored by industry. Right from attitude/awareness, to challenges with treatment, compliance, patient satisfaction, and a lot more. Engaging a few top KOLs as authors and also involving them in reviewing the questionnaire as well as suggestions on how best the survey can be conducted and by whom can be a very effective way of KOL engagement and this is also something that enhances the company's brand image in the eyes of the KOLs.

Case report or case series - I am often surprised that this easiest opportunity to engage individual HCPs and KOLs is barely used by the industry. This is far more cost and time-effective than conducting studies. A good medical writer can write an excellent manuscript if a patient's record (after hiding the patient's identity can be obtained from the HCP). It does not require protocol writing, registering the study, or regulatory approval, and saves the cost and time required in conducting a study. Also, a case report is easier to achieve publication- provided it is not a usual case with the usual line of diagnosis or treatment followed. Only something that adds value to clinicians will be accepted by journals. I am sure most clinicians come across unusual cases in their practice. A bunch of cases (anywhere from 2 to 15-20) with a similar diagnosis and treatment can be published as a case series.

Narrative reviews - Most companies unfortunately use this as the commonest publication strategy for KOL/HCP engagement; however, this is the least effective method. Most good journals do not accept narrative reviews except by invitation and only from the topmost KOLs. These types of articles also have the highest rate of rejection. Yet, I see more and more projects of this type. If you still wish to pursue this strategy, the topic chosen has to be such that not much has been written about it in recent times.

Expert opinion- These are very similar to narrative reviews and are the most difficult to achieve publication. While #narrativereviews only present a 'narrative' of evidence related to a topic, #expertopinion articles also present the authors' own clinical perspective and opinion based on their clinical experience. I have earlier dedicated one edition of my newsletter to this type of article and you can read it here https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/how-write-expert-opinion-article-dr-sangeeta-dhanuka/

Consensus manuscripts - Unfortunately, this very effective tool is being used very incorrectly. If the proper method to arrive at a consensus is followed, it is one of the best HCP engagement tools in terms of publication. However, a very meager proportion of manuscripts of this type achieve publication, mainly due to the flaws in the process followed. You can read about the Do's and don'ts of this type of publication in the previous edition of my newsletter here https://lnkd.in/dbP7_hcz

Systematic review and meta-analysis - These are the most difficult types of manuscripts in terms of execution and also in achieving the objective of the review. There are 2 types here- only systematic review or systematic review and meta-analysis. In very simple terms, a systematic review only presents data as it is, in an attempt to answer the research question. A meta-analysis extracted combines the data and analyzes the combined outcomes. A lot of statistical work goes into a meta-analysis. These types of manuscripts are supposed to be based only on published literature and no expert opinions can be added to the manuscript. What makes them challenging is that all studies conducted on the selected topic are supposed to be included in data extraction. Hence, it is very important to define the research question very very clearly. There is something known as PICO framework (Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcomes). These need to be very clearly written to be able to arrive at the research question, based on which literature search is to be conducted. Otherwise, one could get lost in the sea of data and fail to achieve any meaningful outcomes of the systematic review.

Sponsored article - This is a very effective type of publication. It ensures quick publication and good reach, provided the content is very scientific and does not have an element of promotion. Many leading publishers and journals publish sponsored scientific content that is peer-reviewed. It is often used to share new research or new insights on a drug. Different journals have different authorship criteria for these and not all journals publish sponsored content. The sponsor usually needs to contact the journal before planning this type of publication to understand the requirements and what type of content will be accepted. These are not usually as long as other articles and are usually in the range of 1000 to 2000 words.

I hope this article will help you in creating better plans for HCP engagement through publication going ahead.

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