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To the Editors:

I enjoyed reading your editorial, "A Time for Change" (November 2001:370–372). I think that the writing style in the American Journal of Critical Care is probably the largest detractor to readership. As you mentioned, nurses today are so busy that reading the American Journal of Critical Care may not be very high on the priority list.

It used to take me several hours to read the journal to understand even a little bit about what each article was trying to tell me. Recently, I took an entire course on nursing research as part of my Bachelor’s degree completion program. The course taught me not only the significance of nursing research, but also how to read, understand, interpret, and critique research articles. I can now read almost any article in the American Journal of Critical Care and understand the content with relative ease.

You noted from your recent survey that "64% of readers had worked in critical care nursing for 10 years or longer...." Perhaps a poignant question would be, "How many of our readers have taken a course in nursing research?" Only in recent years have such courses been part of nursing school curricula, particularly Associate’s degree and diploma programs.

As I reflected on your editorial, I thought of your goal to "maintain the excellence of the clinical science reported and maintain an interdisciplinary focus." The writing format of the articles should stay the same. Research reports should probably be published in the widely accepted research format. I think that an editorial comment or summary at the end of each article would help clarify the significance of the study’s findings.

Hopefully, you will receive more submissions and therefore publish more case studies and/or qualitative study reports. I find that these are easier to read and understand because they are more readily identifiable for the nurse at the bedside. This is especially true for anyone who has not received any formal or continuing education about nursing research.

I think that drastic changes to make the presentation more flashy and exciting should be evaluated carefully, as this would drive up costs and perhaps require more advertising to keep the publication affordable for the journal’s intended audience. Might a more flashy publication with more corporate advertising distract the primary focus of the American Journal of Critical Care? Perhaps most important is that skeptical peer reviewers or disciplines within the healthcare industry may challenge the credibility of the publication.

I believe that nursing research is vital to our future as a profession. I encourage all nurses to take a course in nursing research, even if they are not intending on completing any further education. Taking such a course will not only show support for our future but also enable nurses to more easily read and understand this outstanding source of information.

I commend the American Journal of Critical Care for its unbiased multidisciplinary reports. I now look forward to reading each issue instead of sleeping on it.

Jeff Hopkins, RN, CCRN
Lebanon, NH

The Editors reply

Thank you for reminding us that a successful journal requires authors who can express ideas clearly and readers who are prepared to understand the material. We hope to do our part by encouraging clear writing. Thank you for doing your part.

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