Canadian Medical Association Journal 1996; 155: 112
© 1996 Canadian Medical Association (text and abstract/résumé)
Dr. John Wootton says the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada and the CMA cooperated in the June launch of the Canadian Journal of Rural Medicine (CJRM) in order to "keep the rural agenda in the public eye and help promote discussion within the medical community."
Wootton, a family physician from Shawville, Que., is scientific editor of the new peer-reviewed journal. He thinks it will help to unite Canada's rural physicians. "One of the main reasons for the society and the journal is to reach rural physicians and give them a sense of community and shared purpose," he said
Wootton added that it is hard to unify rural doctors because they are so widely dispersed. "Isolation has been and continues to be a significant problem," he said.
Wootton estimates that between 25% and 33% of Canadians are treated by rural physicians; between 6000 and 8000 rural doctors will receive each issue of the new journal.
"The CJRM is a new venue for articulating rural doctors' concerns, diffusing their ideas, providing them with educational material tailored to their needs and introducing them to one another," said Wootton.
The society was formed in 1992 to provide a stronger voice for rural physicians. Dr. Keith MacLellan, the society president, said issues these physicians have to deal with can go unnoticed.
"It has been difficult to bring the interests and concerns of rural medicine to the attention of Canada's decision makers," MacLellan writes in a commentary written for the journal's premier issue.
CJRM is the latest society project that attempts to unite rural physicians. Last year it capitalized on the popularity of the Internet and launched its own email discussion group dedicated to rural medicine. Wootton said the group is a valuable tool for the approximately 200 rural physicians who participate in it, but a lack of rural Internet service providers means that not every rural physician can use the service. "The Internet is a powerful tool for those involved, but 200 is still a tiny minority, considering the number of people who could be using it," said Wootton.
CJRM will be available in both print and electronic formats. It includes original articles, studies, case reports, editorials, regional reviews and opinions.
Wootton said the journal will be devoted to rural medicine and the people who practise it. "We will also look at ways rural physicians are involved in their community, and highlight them."
Dr. Stuart MacLeod, chair of the Committee on Publications, said the cooperative venture is part of an ongoing attempt to develop niche markets and provide additional services to physicians. "This really is unmapped territory," he said, "and it provides a unique opportunity to complement existing primary care journals."
All articles in CJRM, including scientific ones, will have a rural focus. Articles in the first issue include "Ambulatory epidural analgesia in obstetrics: a proposal for rural Canada", and "Country cardiograms".