Trauma Research Medical Writing & Statistical Support

Usually research teams are full of idea people. And the hardest part of turning a research idea into a publishable paper is finding someone with the chops to analyze the data or the expertise to write the paper. Diligent Consulting can support organizations and individuals with idea exploration, statistical support, academic manuscript writing, and strategic advising.

Who Is This For?

This service is for hospitals developing a trauma research program from scratch or seeking support for their existing trauma research program. Most typically this is hospitals moving from Level I to Level I or current Level I trauma programs with a research deficiency.

What Is Included in Trauma Research Medical Writing & Statistical Support Consulting Services?

This offering will be tailored to your hospital's specific research needs, but options include:

Research Program Design

Consultants help evaluate the current research infrastructure and partnerships available to your hospital and then design a trauma research program infrastructure tailored to your resources and needs. This includes outlining necessary infrastructure (IRB support, research coordinator FTE, software), mentoring new research staff, and creating a research agenda to meet the ACS publication goal of 10 peer-reviewed papers in a 3-year window. We work with your team to set a timeline for building the program in a steady and systematic manner to maximize productivity and minimize burn-out.

Academic Medical Writing

When your team lacks a partner to do the primary writing, we can provide that service. We bring more than 15 years of experience in peer-reviewed publishing, healthcare medical writing, and dissemination of results to produce or revise peer-reviewed articles, white papers, and medical communications.

Statistical Support

We connect you with our Data Consultant who can guide study methodology, data management, data analysis, data interpretation, and writing the Methodology and Results sections of the manuscript. This can range from basic descriptive statistics through complex multivariate analysis.

Our Trauma Consulting Process

Trauma research support is a long-term engagement. It typically takes 18-24 months to build a trauma research program from scratch. We will work with you to identify your needs and add value to support your program until the research infrastructure is self-sustaining. This can include:

Stakeholder Assessment. We will help you identify and invite research partners. This includes partnerships with providers and staff within your hospitals, as well as partnerships with local medical and graduate schools, other trauma facilities, or multi-site national studies.
Gap Assessment. We will review current trauma research capabilities, organizational readiness for research, and progress made towards the research goals.
Program Launch. We will define trauma research publication goals, develop timelines, and support your team to plan for and launch a trauma research program. This will include guidance on IRB support, identification of publishable research topics, and best practices for involving others on a research team.
Statistical Support. If your facility needs outside support for statistical analysis, we will connect you with our Data Consultant to design the study, guide data collection, analyze the data, and write portions of the manuscript.
Medical Writing. If your facility needs outside support for writing and publishing the manuscript, we will connect you with a Medical Writer to help produce the first draft and guide the team through manuscript revisions.

Note: We are committed to maintaining research integrity in the writing and publishing process. We do not ghost-write, but we will establish a framework at the onset of each study to determine if our consulting support will require shared authorship that is fair to your hospital but also complies with industry publication standards.

What Are Some of the Greatest Challenges in Trauma Program Development?

Research is hard work that takes a long time. Some of the most common challenges include:

Lack of Hospital Research Infrastructure

Not all hospitals have access to a research department, an IRB, or research support. This is especially true at community hospitals. It takes creativity and patience to accomplish research in institutions that typically only conduct clinical trials.

Lack of Participation

In many hospitals, participation in research is voluntary and in addition to other responsibilities. It is hard to get physicians and staff to want to participate in research and put in the time to contribute meaningful to research projects.

No One Can Do Stats

Not every hospital has a qualified research statistician available to participate in research. Trauma research requires special analytic software and higher-level statistical skills.

No One Wants to Write

The best research study will languish if no one is willing or able to write. It takes a long time for individuals to become comfortable with research writing. Some common mistakes in writing or journal selection can significantly delay publication and interfere with meeting the research program goals.

MANY Factors Outside Your Control

Even the best organized programs can be waylaid by factors outside of your control. Mainly this includes delays in journal review and acceptance, as well as an inability to predict if your study design will lead to interesting and publishable results. The goal is to build a robust program and a generous timeline to minimize these delays.

How Can Diligent Consulting Help?

We can help lead or support trauma research programs by mentoring, advising, and providing the technical skills needed to assure productivity. Reach out today for a free consultation.