Letter from the Editor.

Last June we introduced a number of new features to the Southern Medical Journal. Our main goals were to make the Journal more user friendly and to provide clinicians with tools they need to better help their patients. We wanted to make the SMJ a useful companion that many clinicians would keep readily available for further reference.

One of the features we felt might be of help was the "Featured CME Topic" section, which was devoted to a particular disease, group of diseases, or symptoms identified by clinicians as an area in which CME is needed. Over the past few months we covered a number of issues, including osteoporosis, dementia, diabetes, hypertension, the female patient, pain management, incontinence, smoking, smoking cessation, and thyroid disease. Many of these topics were already the subject of CME courses organized by the SMA. The Featured CME Topic sections were extremely well received. Readers liked to have in one issue most of the relevant information.

One problem arose, however: the Featured CME Topic sections take a great deal of space--about one-third of the Journal. Although this section is helpful to many clinicians, it reduces by about a third the number of articles we can publish. Considering that we can publish only about a dozen articles a month and considering that we receive several articles on a daily basis, the publication of this section creates an enormous backlog of articles that is ever-increasing and significantly delays the publication of many excellent articles.

We gave this matter considerable thought and decided that it would be unfair to our potential contributors and readers to continue with the Featured CME Topic section in its present format. We feel obligated to publish original material as quickly as possible because this material may affect the clinicians' and researchers' work. We therefore decided to reduce, at least temporarily, the frequency of the Featured CME Topic section to three issues a year. We will still continue to publish CME articles every month that provide one or two CME credits. If the demand for the Featured CME Topic section continues to be strong and the resources are available, we may elect to publish it more frequently or as a supplement to the Journal.

I want to emphasize that the Journal is evolving and is responsive to the needs of our readers and potential authors. I look forward to receiving your comments and any ideas you may have to improve the quality and relevance of the Journal.

Ronald C. Hamdy, MD, FRCP, FACP 

Editor