Healthcare improvement is incomplete until it is published: the cystic fibrosis initiative to support scholarly publication.

Abstract

Preparation of this supplement, Ten years of improvement innovation in cystic fibrosis care, tested a strategy to support writing and scholarly publication by cystic fibrosis (CF) healthcare improvement professionals. Critical elements of the writing initiative included: a request for abstracts that was distributed to over 2000 professionals in the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation-supported improvement community to identify promising work; continuous peer review of manuscripts by co-authors and writing tutors; three webinars and a 2-day face-to-face writing retreat that addressed the challenges of successful scholarly healthcare improvement writing and publication; and finally, journal submission and formal external peer review. The SQUIRE Publication Guidelines provided content framework for manuscripts. 47 abstracts were submitted from which reviewers selected nine for participation. The 28 co-authors of these abstracts took part in the writing initiative. Authors' self-assessment showed that half had previously published fewer than five papers, while 80% considered themselves insufficiently prepared to write for the scholarly improvement literature. Eventually all of the nine abstracts led to full manuscripts, which were submitted to the journal for formal peer review. Of these, seven were accepted for publication and are included in this supplement. A formal initiative to develop and support scholarly writing-while resource-intensive-offers opportunities for wider publication by healthcare improvement professionals.