Bridging gaps in medical research
Between evidence and practice, between regions and between disciplines, gaps slow medical progress. How publishers and researchers can help close them.
Medicine advances through evidence, but evidence only helps patients when it reaches the people who make decisions. Along the way there are gaps that slow progress, and many of them can be narrowed.
The gap between evidence and practice
It often takes years for research findings to become routine care. Part of the delay is unavoidable, since results need confirming. Part comes from how research is communicated: findings buried in long papers, behind paywalls, written only for specialists. Clear reporting, open access and practical summaries shorten the path to the clinic.
The gap between regions
Most published medical research comes from a small number of countries, while the burden of disease is spread across the world. Researchers in under-represented regions face higher barriers to publishing: language, cost, limited mentoring and unfamiliar processes. Supporting these researchers improves the evidence base for everyone.
The gap between disciplines
Many of today’s health problems need clinicians, data scientists, social scientists and engineers to work together. Journals and conferences that bring disciplines into the same conversation help ideas move between fields.
The gap between researchers and publishers
For many authors, publishing feels like a black box: submit, wait, receive a decision. Transparent processes, named contacts and practical guidance make the system fairer and lead to better papers.
What closes the gaps
- Open access, so evidence is available where it is needed.
- Mentoring and author support for researchers who are new to publishing.
- Clear, complete reporting that others can apply and replicate.
- Multilingual communication of key findings.
Bridging these gaps is at the centre of what AIAM Press does, through our journals, our author support and our training programmes.