Patient-Oriented Research Collection

As per the announcement made by the journal’s owner, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), CMAJ Open will no longer be accepting submissions. Read more…

What is Patient-Oriented Research?

As defined by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, "Patient-oriented research refers to a continuum of research that engages patients as partners, focuses on patient-identified priorities and improves patient outcomes. This research, conducted by multidisciplinary teams in partnership with relevant stakeholders, aims to apply the knowledge generated to improve healthcare systems and practices."

What Types of Papers are Considered for the Collection?

While acknowledging that patient-oriented research encompasses more than patient engagement, the CMAJ Open dedicated collection focuses on papers that advance the science and practice of patient engagement.

Acceptable article types include original research (quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods), methodology papers, pilot studies and study protocols.

The journal will consider for publication papers in which authors report clearly how patient partners were engaged in a meaningful and appropriate manner in the research. In particular, authors should include specific details about how patients might have been engaged in roles such as:

  • Priority setting
  • Development of the research question
  • Study design
  • Participant recruitment
  • Data collection
  • Data analysis
  • Knowledge translation
  • Most importantly, how patients' contributions enhanced the research.

We suggest authors strengthen their narrative by referring to the GRIPP2 checklists for reporting of patient engagement in research.

Authors may also wish to consider the IAP2 spectrum as adapted by Vandall-Walker (2017) in Figure 1 of the article when describing their patient engagement.

Article Requirements

Research articles for the collection should clearly demonstrate why the research is considered patient-oriented according to the CIHR definition. The research should demonstrate a commitment to including the patient perspective in the research process, and the article must should include details about the patient engagement plan and/or report on patient-identified priorities.

Authors should describe the patient engagement process, including patients' roles in the preparation, execution, translation of the research, and how patients' contributions affected the research.

Research manuscripts should include the following sections (these are similar to the regular instructions for CMAJ Open papers; additional items are described in bold below):

✓ Title: The title should include the term "patient-oriented" before the study type.

✓ Abstract: CMAJ Open requires a structured abstract of no more than 250 words. The abstract should contain the following sections and use the following subheadings: Background, Methods, Results and Interpretation. Ensure that all data presented in the Abstract are contained in the main article.

  • Background: This should include one sentence giving the study context and a second sentence with a clear statement of the study aim/research question.
  • Methods: This should include the research design, setting of the study, years and participants, including the criteria for selection, entry, and exclusion. Please state why the research is patient-oriented, including how the patients were engaged (full or partial partners; what component(s) of the study). The interventions, if applicable, should be clearly outlined, as well as primary and secondary outcome measures.
  • Results: The main findings should be quantified with 95% confidence intervals and the number needed to treat or harm, if applicable. Absolute, rather than relative, risks are preferable.
  • Interpretation: This should be 2 sentences, the first with the main conclusions and the second with the study implications.
  • Study registration: Registry and number should be included for clinical trials and, if available, for other study types.

✓ Plain Language Summary: Plain language summaries are short, non-technical descriptions of the key points in an article. They are intended to be read by people interested in this topic who do not have training in healthcare or who are not experts in the area. Their goal is to make it easier for readers to understand what the article says and to share the information to a wider audience.

How do I write a plain language summary?

  • Plain language summaries must be 200 words maximum.
  • Use as little technical language or jargon as possible.
  • Keep the tone conversational.
  • Use pronouns (ex. ‘we’) to engage the reader.
  • Keep sentences short.
  • Use active language (ex. write “we asked patients…”)
  • Please structure your plain language summary using the following headings:
    • Why we did this research
    • What we did
    • What we found
    • What this means
  • Write your summary so that someone with a Grade 8 reading level can understand it. If you’re not sure what the reading level of your summary is, check it using Microsoft Word (Get your document's readability and level statistics (microsoft.com)).

For more information, see Federal plain language guidelines | plainlanguage.gov, Canada.ca Content Style Guide - Canada.ca or Employee Words for Public Health Communication (cdc.gov).

✓ Introduction: This section should inform the reader of the topic being studied and provide the context for the research question. The objective of the study should be clearly stated at the end of the introduction. The section should be no more than two paragraphs.

✓ Methods: Use a narrative style and avoid jargon when describing the protocol. We encourage authors to include their complete protocol, which may appear as an online appendix to their manuscript if accepted for publication. Subheadings (e.g., setting, design, data sources, outcomes are helpful for readers; these will vary depending on the study type. Required headings for this collection should form the last three in the methods section:

  • Patient Engagement (stating explicitly how patients were engaged in areas such as priority setting, development of the research question, study design, recruitment, data collection, data analysis and knowledge translation)
  • Statistical analysis (quantitative methodologies) or Data analysis (qualitative methodologies)
  • Ethics approval

✓ Results: Wherever possible, results should be summarized in tables or figures with the main findings described in the text. Avoid any redundant presentation of data in tables and in the text of the manuscript. If presenting qualitative results, quotations should be placed in boxes.

✓ Interpretation: This section should include six parts in the following order:

  • Brief summary of the main results of the study (one paragraph)
  • Explanation of the findings; comparison and contrast of findings with other related studies in the literature (up to three paragraphs)
  • Knowledge gaps and future directions in the area of study (one paragraph)
  • Limitations of the study with" Limitations" subtitle (one paragraph)
  • Lessons learned from patient engagement with subtitle (one paragraph)
  • Conclusion (one paragraph), including a brief statement of how the research has the potential to improve patient outcomes

✓ Data-sharing statement: Authors will be asked to supply a data-sharing statement. This is not a request to share data, but to indicate whether the data are available for use by other researchers. The statement should indicate the following: (1) whether any, all or portions of the data are available to others; (2) where, through whom, when and on what terms data will be available; (3) how data may be accessed.]

✓ Reporting guideline checklist: