StayWell Custom Communications (SCC) makes a significant investment annually to medically review content and support its commitment to current high standards of accuracy. Content is developed in conformance with current Practice Guidelines of government agencies and medical specialty organizations. For new content, the staff is exclusively dedicated to developing health communication solutions that are evidence-based, URAC accredited, easy to understand, and behavioral-change focused.
Content is developed for a range of reading levels, including 5th to 12th grades. Reading level is measured with commonly used readability scales (FOG, SMOG, Flesh-Kincaid and FRY). Going beyond readability, SCC is focused on health literacy and developing content using Doak, Doak & Root Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM) methodology, which considers the following criteria: content, layout and typography, graphics, cultural appropriateness, learning stimulation motivation and literacy demand. A glossary of terms is included on our online site. Multimedia content facilitates a low literacy reading level with medical illustrations and a diverse selection of multimedia products.
All health content is sourced and dated when edited/updated. It is reviewed annually and no older than12 to 24 months from the posting date. The SCC staff adheres to a rigorous internal review process for existing content, and current health information leveraged from a variety of other renowned, credible content providers in the field, including Harvard content, Health Day News, and Gold Standard, Inc. Also, content that is affected by significant new medical knowledge (e.g., hormone replacement therapy) is updated expediently.
Interactive tools - all calculators and condition-related risk assessments as well as quizzes relating to specific health topics (smoking, weight loss, exercise, immunizations and screenings, pregnancy, stress, depression, and substance and alcohol use) - are also reviewed annually. Other content is reviewed as appropriate when medical advances or new guidelines arise.
StayWell Custom Communications multimedia production has a strong commitment to quality and medical accuracy in its content development, visual representations, and data interaction. Guiding the development process in multimedia content are the same standards and requirements that direct the creation of all medical content. Throughout the process of the creation of multimedia content, there are several different script/content reviews by the health content clinical team.
In production, the clinical staff reviews many visual beta versions of any production product developed by the graphic artists, animators, and programmers. With each step of the process, the clinical team has multiple opportunities to assure medical accuracy of the final product. All interactive multimedia content undergoes user testing by the staff and other consumer users.
Multimedia content (animations, interactives, and clinical wizards) is reviewed on a yearly basis, by our clinical content staff and other medically appropriate reviewers. Findings of reviewers are immediately addressed by the multimedia team.
Great importance is placed on visuals. Our award-winning art is used to:
Bridge learning barriers - Visuals speak across languages and literacy levels.
Convey key messages - Images reinforce key content.
Tie content and audience together - Offer real-life examples and solutions.
StayWell research methods include our on-site medical library (journal articles, practice guidelines, subscription databases), interviews with medical experts, attendance at medical association meetings and conferences, professionally conducted surveys, roundtable discussions with industry professionals and focus groups with both practitioners and end-users of our products.
Our Quality Oversight Committee and online editors meet on a quarterly basis and make updates to accommodate new medical practices and knowledge.
StayWell's medical reviewers - all specialists in their fields - are charged to assure that the content is evidence-based and that recommendations made on a particular topic are consistent across all content on that topic.
To ensure accurate and accessible content, StayWell has an in-house team of:
Product editors
Project managers
Writers
Designers
Medical illustrators
Medical editors
Developmental editors
Research librarians
Spanish translators
StayWell Custom Communications employs a highly skilled team of Medical and RN authors, editors, and reviewers. Each medical writer has many years of experience in writing patient education materials for hospitals, health systems, private organizations, and professional organizations. Each nurse or physician also has numerous years of professional experience in various specialties, such as cardiology, infectious diseases, pediatrics, pulmonary diseases, organ transplantation (kidney, liver), orthopaedics, clinical research, and oncology.
Other areas of specialty that are represented by the StayWell clinical staff include: pediatric nurse practitioner, masters degree in public health, masters degree in psychiatric nursing, nurse practitioner in maternal/child health, genetic counseling, medical internist, managed care and health insurance industry experience, legal medical consulting, and an on-site certified medical illustrator.
In addition to their clinical experience, our writers have published in both nursing and physician medical journals, are active in professional organizations, have conducted professional national presentations, serve as guest editors for nursing journals in their specialty area, and have many years of clinical and patient/family education experience. Many team members have also held or currently hold positions as professors of nursing, while others have developed and implemented comprehensive patient/family educational programs.
Below is a sample of the experience and accomplishments of our medical writers and reviewers.
Our RN writers have either a Bachelor of Science in Nursing or a Master's degree in business administration, health administration, nursing, science, or related disciplines. Many are certified in their areas of specialty.
Chairman of Patient and Family Education Committees
Project Coordinators for Joint Commission of Accreditation of Healthcare
Currently holding management positions and/or clinical positions in various departments at local hospitals
Active role in professional nursing organizations
Who's Who in Rising Young Americans
Outstanding Employee Awards
Certified Critical Care Nurse
Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Provider
Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) Instructor
Basic Life Support Instructor
Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) Provider
Certified Poison Information Specialist
Certified Rehabilitation Registered Nurse
Certified Pediatric Nurse
Certified Clinical Research Coordinator (CCRC)
Certified Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist
Certifications in various clinical techniques
Oncology Certified Nurse
Editor - Orthopaedic Nursing Journal
Guest Editor - Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Neonatal Nursing
Published articles in Journal of Continuing Education for the Family Physician, Nursing Spectrum, AtlantaSports and Fitness Magazine, Journal of Nursing Administrations, and Pritchett & Hull Associates, Inc.
Written patient education materials for ACOG ( American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology)
Pregnancy Textbook - Multiple Births
ACS Textbook - Couples Confronting Cancer: Keeping Your Relationship Strong
Contributor - Gastroenterology Nursing: A Core Curriculum
Contributor - Clinical Handbook Of Pediatric Gastroenterology
Lecturer for Cardiovascular Nursing Program
Guest Lecturer for National Pediatric Cardiology Symposium
National Association of Orthopaedic Nurses - National Convention
Primary Investigators in various research studies, such as those involving HIV/AIDS, multiple births, infectious diseases, cancer, gastroenterology, pediatric-labeling for drugs, and cardiovascular conditions.
In developing content, StayWell Custom Communications meets the current practice guidelines and standards of care of the prestigious organizations listed below:
Cardiology
American Heart Association
American College of Cardiology
Department of Health and Human Services
Dental
American Dental Association
American Academy of Periodentology
American Society of Reproductive Medicine
American Association of Orthodontists
American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
American Academy of General Dentistry
American College of Prosthodontists
American Association of Endodontists
AmericanAcademyof Periodontology
American College of Prosthodontics
Diabetes
American Diabetes Association
American Podiatric Medical Association
International Diabetes Center
National Instituteof Diabetesand Digestive and Kidney Diseases
American Dietetic Association
Eye Care
American Academy of Ophthalmology
American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery
Eye Surgery Education Council
Gastroenterology
American College of Gastroenterology
American Cancer Society
American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery
National Comprehensive Cancer Network
National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse
Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons
American Society of Colon & Rectal Surgeons
Ob/Gyn
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
American Association of Gynecological Laparoscopists
National Academy of Family Physicians
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology
Society of Reproductive Surgeons
North American Menopause Association
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
National Vaginitis Association
Oncology
National Cancer institute
National Cervical Cancer Coalition
Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation
Orthopedics
American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons
Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network
National Association for Sport and Physical Education
North American Spine Society
Public Health (includes Infectious Disease)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
American Social Health Association
Pulmonary
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
Asthma and Allergy Foundation
American Lung Foundation
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
GOLD: Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease
American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP)
American Association for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR)
Urology
American Foundation for Urologic Disease
American Urological Association
StayWell Custom Communications content - whether existing and being updated or new - is intelligently indexed and mapped to MeSH concepts as a common keyword scheme. MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) is an industry-standard vocabulary maintained by the National Library of Medicine.
Allergies
Immunology and Allergy Clinics of North America
The Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology
Middleton Allergy: Principles and Practice
American Heart Association/American Stroke Association
American Association for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Heart Failure Society of America
Heart Rhythm Society
Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions
Society of Thoracic Surgeons
American Association of Thoracic Surgery
American Society of Hypertension
Society of Invasive Cardiovascular Professionals
American Heart HospitalJournal
Braunwald's Heart Disease
Cardiology Clinics
Circulation (including supplements)
Clinical Electrocardiography
Harvard Heart Letter
Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography
Journal Watch for Cardiology
Pediatric Cardiology for Practitioners
Progress in Cardiovascular Nursing
Complementary & Alternative Medicine
Integrative Medicine
Textbook of Natural Medicine
Dentistry
American Journal of Orthodontics And Dentofacial Orthopedics
Journal of the American Dental Association
Developments in Medicine
HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report
Healthcare Informatics
Internet Medicine
JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association
Med Ad News
Medical Clinics of North America
Medicine on the Net
New England Journal of Medicine
Nation's Health
Postgraduate Medicine
Dermatology
Clinical Dermatology: Color Guide to Diagnosis and Therapy
Dermatologic Clinics
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
International DiabetesCenter
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
American Association of Diabetes Educators
Endocrine Society
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
National Kidney Foundation
Diabetes Educator
Diabetes Forecast
Diabetes Self-Management
Emergency Medicine
Annals of Emergency Medicine
Clinical Procedures in Emergency Medicine
Clinical Toxicology
Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America
Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice
Wilderness Medicine
Endocrinology
Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics of North America
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
Williams Textbook of Endocrinology
American Academy of Optometry
Family Practice
American Family Physician
Annals of Family Medicine
Clinics in Family Practice
Physicians Desk Reference
Rakel's Textbook of Family Practice
Textbook of Family Practice
American Cancer Society (ACS)
The American Journal of Gastroenterology
Clinics in Liver Disease
Gastroenterology Clinics of North America
Sleisenger & Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease
General Health and Wellness
Canadian Medical Association Journal
Mayo Clinic Health Letter
Modern Healthcare
Prevention
Tufts University Health and Nutrition Letter
University of California at Berkeley Wellness Letter
Geriatrics
Clinics in Geriatric Medicine
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Practice of Geriatrics
Health Statistics
American Journal of Public Health
Statistical Abstract of the United States
United States Government Manual
Infectious Diseases
Infectious Disease Clinics of North America
Krugman's Principles and Practices of Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Mandell's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases
Internal Medicine
Annals of Internal Medicine
Cecil Textbook of Medicine
Chest
Clinics in Chest Medicine
Conn's Current Therapy
Hematology: Basic Principles and Practice
Internal Medicine News
The Osler Medical Handbook
Textbook of Respiratory Medicine
Up-To-Date
Laboratory Medicine
Clinical Laboratory Medicine
Neurology
Neurologic Clinics
Textbook of Clinical Neurology
Nutrition
Food Insight
Nutrition Action Health Letter
National Institutes of Health
American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Clinics in Perinatology
Comprehensive Gynecology
Contemporary Ob-Gyn
The Female Patient (Obstetrics/Gynecology Edition)
Gabbe's Obstetrics: Normal and Problem Pregnancies
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics of North America
American Institute for Cancer Research Newsletter
Clinical Oncology
Hematology/Oncology Clinics of North America
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
Ophthalmology
Ophthalmology Clinics of North America
Ophthalmology Management
Ophthalmology Times
Review of Ophthalmology
Yanoff: Ophthalmology
Orthopaedics
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
American Journal of Sports Medicine
Arthritis Today
Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics
Chiropractic Products
Clinics in Sports Medicine
DeLee and Drez's Orthopaedic Sports Medicine
Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery - American Edition
Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeon
National Osteoporosis Foundation
Scoliosis Research Society
Orthopaedic Nursing
The Orthopedic Clinics of North America
Orthopedics Today
Physical Therapy Journal
Podiatry Management
Rheumatic Disease Clinics of North America
Skeletal Trauma: Basic Science, Management, and Reconstruction
Otolaryngology
The Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America
Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
Patient Education and Care
Advocate
American Journal of Health Promotion
American Journal of Managed Care
Creative Training Techniques Newsletter
Critical Care Clinics
Critical Care Medicine
Essentials of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Ferri's Clinical Advisor
Health plan
Hospital Blue Book
Hospital Outlook
Hospitals and Health Networks
Nursing (Year) (Hospital Library Ed.)
Nursing Made Easy
Patient Care
Patient Education Management
Practical Guide to the Care of the Medical Patient
Primary Care Clinics in Office Practice
Textbook of Primary Care Medicine
Pediatrics
Adolescent Medicine Clinics
Harriett Lane Handbook
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
The Journal of Pediatrics
Klugman's Infectious Diseases of Children
Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics
The Pediatric Clinics of North America
Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
Principles and Practices of Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Skeletal Trauma in Children
Pharmacology
USP Di, Vol II, Advice for the Patient
Public Health
National Center for Health Statistics
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
American Red Cross
Pulmonary Disease
American Lung Association
Psychiatry
Handbook of Medical Psychiatry
The Psychiatric Clinics of North America
Psychiatric Secrets
Radiology
Grainger & Allison's Diagnostic Radiology
The Radiologic Clinics of North America
Rheumatology
Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology
Safety
California Employer Advisor
Family Safety & Health
Human Resource Executive
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
OSHA Up-to-Date
Safety + Health
Today's Administrative Professional
Workforce
Surgeries and Procedures
Anesthesia
Anesthesiology
Anesthesiology Clinics of North America
Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons
General Surgery News
Journal of the American College of Surgeons
Journal of Clinical Anesthesia
Outpatient Surgery
Sabiston Textbook of Surgery
The Surgical Clinics of North America
Trends in Health
Business Week
Consumer Reports on Health
Ebony
The Economist (North American Edition)
Generations
Health
Latina
Metropolitan Home
Newsweek
New York Times
People (Spanish Edition)
San Francisco Chronicle
Scientific American
Self
Time
US News and World Report
USA Today
Vanity Fair
Wall Street Journal
Trends in Men's Health
Gentlemen's Quarterly
Harvard Men's Health Watch
The Journal of Men's Health and Gender
Men's Health
Trends in Women's Health
Cosmopolitan
Elle
Glamour
Harvard Women's Health Watch
Ladies Home Journal
Vogue
Woman's Day
Kidney and Urology Foundation of America
American Journal of Kidney Diseases
Brenner & Rector's The Kidney
Campbell 's Urology
Family Urology
Journal of the American Society of Nephrology
The Urologic Clinics of North America
Approved by the Quality Oversight Committee, October 2008