A highly respected senior nephrologist and renowned opinion leader, who also happened to be my good old friend and colleague, asked me why I and some other academicians are involved in supporting such non-peer-reviewed journals as Renal & Urology News (RUN).
My answer was simple: RUN is an effective tool for reaching out to the majority of practicing nephrologists, urologists, and other physicians who rarely read peer-reviewed journals. Even though both academic and practicing nephrologists work closely with each other, the academic minority conducts research to advance the field, whereas the clinician majority is heavily involved in the provision of medical care.
Practicing nephrologists, who have more clinical experience and are more heavily involved in hands-on patient management, are generally expected to follow recommendations and guidelines set forth by their scientific counterparts whose busy academic schedule may not allow direct patient care. A professional disconnect may be felt between the two camps. This cultural gap may deepen if academicians remain reluctant to be involved in supporting the media and resources that service the practicing nephrologists.
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The objective of RUN is to inform readers on a wide range of study findings quickly and in an easy-to-read format. It is an effective bridge from the scientific conferences and peer-reviewed publications to the busy practices of community nephrologists and urologists. RUN reporters regularly scan not only peer-reviewed nephrology and urology journals but they also look for studies that would interest nephrologists and urologists in journals not specifically aimed at their specialties, such as Diabetes Care, Circulation, Journal of the American College of Cardiology, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, etc.
In addition, they report on study findings presented at about two dozen domestic and international medical conferences annually. Nephrologists and urologists cannot attend all these meetings. Moreover, some meetings not focused on nephrology or urology are venues for presenting research that clearly is within the realm of these specialties. RUN provides a convenient summation of the studies that might otherwise escape notice by nephrologists and urologists.
As in previous years, our special nephrology edition coincides with Renal Week. For this occasion, renowned opinion leaders and their collaborators have been invited to contribute to scholarly written and clinically oriented review articles. We hope that readers find these articles informative, educational, and relevant to their patient care.
