The format of articles in BJA Education has remained relatively unchanged since the journal started as BJA CEPD Reviews in 2001 and its rebranding from CEACCP in 2016.1, 2, 3 Whilst minor changes in style have been made, including the addition of specified learning objectives in 2018, readers have enjoyed being able to access focussed narrative reviews on topics relevant to clinical practice and its underlying scientific basis in anaesthesia and related specialties. Some of these are accompanied by podcasts in which authors of selected articles discuss their subject in greater detail; other articles are complemented by supplementary material available online.
Readers have also been able to provide feedback via links to social media. However, it has become clear that the current formula for the print and online versions of BJA Education is not ideal for some topics that fall within our broad remit, of continuing professional development in all its relevant forms. Hence the board of BJA Education identified a need for succinct articles that are restricted to a well-defined area and can be presented as a synopsis of approximately 1000 words. These might be based on specific areas of physiology, pharmacology, or other scientific topics relevant to clinical practice; highlights or explanations to a common technique controversy or standard operating process; summaries of recent guidance; or updates to professional practice. The aims of the articles might be summarised as ‘What you need to know about … ’, ‘Tips for success in … ’, or ‘How to do it’, and they will be under the heading ‘Essential notes’. The intention is that these articles will be published intermittently and be complementary to our current reviews. It is important to stress that the longer reviews will remain our core focus and content, and there is no intention to replace them or change their format. Other than being condensed in scope and length, the main difference is that Essential Notes articles will not be accompanied by key points or Multiple Choice Questions. We feel that the former are unnecessary (the key points should be self-evident), and the latter may be problematic as we anticipate that there may be some areas of controversy or authors' opinion. The details of required style and format of our Essential Notes articles are available on our website www.bjaed.org and all articles will be peer reviewed.
In this issue of BJA Education we introduce the first of these Essential Notes articles, about why patients need additional inspired oxygen during general anaesthesia.4
The editorial board believes that this type of expert précis is consistent with developments in publishing and the wider media; we hope that they will meet the needs and expectations of our readers in 2018 and beyond.
References
- 1.Rowbotham D.J., Vaughan R.S. Editorial. BJA CEPD Reviews. 2001;1:2. [Google Scholar]
- 2.Webster N.R. Changes are afoot. Br J Anaesth. 2015;114:1–2. doi: 10.1093/bja/aeu445. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 3.Rowbotham D.J. Editorial. Cont Educ Anaesth Crit Care Pain. 2004;1:1. [Google Scholar]
- 4.Lumb A.B. Why do patients need extra oxygen during a general anaesthetic? BJA Education. 2019;19:37–39. doi: 10.1016/j.bjae.2018.11.005. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]