Abstract:

Medical writing is a unique and rewarding profession. Individuals with a science background who have a flair for writing can opt for medical writing as a career. Interpreting complex data and presenting it in a simple and readable format is one of the major roles of a medical writer. Medical writers need to have key skills, i.e. excellent English communication (writing and speaking), literature search, interpretation and presentation of data. In addition to skills, medical writers would also require domain knowledge, i.e. medical/therapeutic area knowledge, drug development process, statistics, and technical guidelines. Medical writers can freelance independently after gaining several years of experience or be employed in pharmaceutical companies, academic institutes, and hospitals among others. There are several writing associations such as the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) and the European Medical Writers Association (EMWA) that can help medical writers. The demand for medical writers has increased exponentially in India. Medical writing can be a rewarding and fulfilling career for life sciences graduates.

References:

[1].     American Medical Writers Association. [Last accessed on 28 November 2018]. Available from: https://www.amwa.org/page/About_Us.

[2].     Medical and scientific writing: Time to go lean and mean. Prospect Clin Res. 2017;8(3):113-117.

[3].     Collier R. A call for clarity and quality in medical writing. CMAJ. 2017;189(46): E1407.

[4].     Das N, Das S. Hiring a professional medical writer: is it equivalent to ghost writing? Biochem Med (Zagreb). 2014;24(1):19-24. Published 2014 Feb 15. doi:10.11613/BM.2014.004.

[5].     European Medical Writers Association. [Last accessed on 28 November 2018]. Available from: https://www.emwa.org/about-us/about-emwa/.

[6].     Sharma, S. How to become a competent medical writer? Prospect Clin Res. 2010;1(1):33-7.

Abstract:

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death globally: 17.5 million die each year from CVDs, an estimated 31% of all deaths world-wide. Among these more than 75% deaths occur in the low- and middle-income countries.¹ On 22^nd September 2016 World Health Organization (WHO) and partners launched a new initiative “Global Hearts” which aims to beat back the global threat of cardiovascular diseases including heart attacks and strokes.² Tobacco use an unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity increase the risk. So, we made an attempt to estimate the magnitude of behavioural risk factors which is vital for planners and policy makers to formulate appropriate and locally suitable interventions.

References:

[1].   Garg A, Chavan BS. Patterns of alcohol consumption in medical students. Journal of Indian Med Association, 2009;107(3):151-155.

[2].   Lakshmi Malavika Nair, Madhu B, et.al., Magnitude of behavioural risk factors for cardiovascular diseases among college going young adults (18-25 years) in Mysuru, Karnataka, India. International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health, January 2017;4:1:65-72.

[3].   Ranjeetha Kumari, Bhola nath. Study on the Use of Tobacco Among Male Medical Students in Lucknow, India. Indian Journal of Community Medicine, 2008;33(2):100-103.

[4].   Rustagi, DK Taneja, Mishra P, Ingle GK. Cardiovascular Risk Behavior among Students of a Medical College in Delhi. Indian J Community Med. 2011;36(1):51-3.

[5].   Skemiene L, Ustinaviciene R, Piesine L, Radisauskas R. Peculiarities of medical student’s nutrition. Medicina (Kaunas), 2007;43(2):145-52.

[6].   WHO. Global atlas on cardiovascular disease prevention and control. Available from: http://www.who.int/cardiovascular_diseases/publications/atlas_cvd/en/. (Accessed on July 23rd, 2017).

[7].   WHO Global Hearts initiative Available from: http://www.who.int/cardiovascular_diseases/global-hearts/en/. (Accessed on July 23rd, 2017).