“Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely.”
—William Somerset Maugham
Dr. Nicholas (Nick) Bateman became the fifth editor-in-chief of this journal in 2009.Citation1 He brought with him an international reputation and a rich experience in patient care, clinical research, poison center management, and editorial work. After three short years, he has reluctantly resigned his post for personal reasons but has left an impact on the journal worthy of a much longer tenure. The journal grew and changed for the better during Dr. Bateman's stewardship. Just a few of his accomplishments include a restructuring of the editorial board to include an associate and reviews editors, a shortening of the time from article submission to acceptance and publication that is in-line with the most competitive medical journals, the addition of “Image”Citation2 and “History”Citation3 articles, and an expansion of the international scope of the journal that is reflected in the fact that more than two-thirds of articles now originate from outside of North America. These initiatives clearly resulted in an improved journal, which is demonstrated by the 90% overall positive satisfaction rate obtained in a recent survey of the members of the sponsoring organizations. It has been an honor and a privilege to work with Dr. Bateman over the past 3 years. On behalf of the editorial board and staff, I wholeheartedly thank him for his commitment, ingenuity, and grace in leading the journal. To build on his legacy and continue positive growth and value in the journal is the challenge for me and future editors.
The purpose of the journal will remain to advance the science and practice of clinical toxicology for the betterment of patient care and public health. The toxic effects of chemical and drugs are of world-wide importance and often cross geographic and political boundaries. Toxins rarely stay at their point of origin, whether they are drugs of abuse or chemicals in the environment, and it behooves us to know what is happening outside of our own backyards. Thus, we will continue to pursue an international perspective and encourage submissions of toxicological importance from all parts of the world. The editorial board will reflect this global viewpoint with outstanding researchers and clinicians of diverse backgrounds and high academic achievement.
So much (or little) of what we know about the human effects of poisoning and overdose has been based on anecdotal case reports and case series because of a lack of research funding, small patient populations, and the logistic and ethical difficulties of studying human poisoning in a controlled manner. Nonetheless, the journal will strive to publish articles with the highest level of evidence, and we encourage you and your colleagues to submit research based on clinically relevant basic science, animal models, clinical trials, meta-analyses, “all or none,” case-control, and cohort studies for publication. The advancement of the specialty of clinical toxicology depends on excellent peer-reviewed science brought promptly to your fingertips for use in clinical practice.
The journal will continue to publish position papers on topics of interest to the clinician, like the recent paper on pressure immobilization for the treatment of Crotalinae envenomation authored by five toxicology societies.Citation4 In addition, the decontamination position papers published in 2004 in this journal are actively being revised by a panel of experts from the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology (AACT) and the European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists (EAPCCT) and are scheduled to be published in the coming year or so. We will continue to solicit and publish comprehensive reviews of timely and important topics to your clinical practice, including patient care, environmental health, analytical techniques, and forensic toxicology. Allister Vale and Michael Mullins will continue in their invaluable roles as co-editors of the reviews section.
The role of poison centers is an increasingly important aspect of public health, poisoning surveillance, and consultative services world-wide. Publishing data that demonstrates the clinical impact and health care cost-savings of poison centers is important and welcome. The annual report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) published each year reveals important trends in poisoning in the US.Citation5 Issues and research concerning poison center operations, technology, innovations, and communicationCitation6 are also important to disseminate among the toxicology and public health communities, and we look forward to championing this area of inquiry.
Debate and controversy stimulate innovative ideas and research, and the journal will be looking to publishing more commentaries and letters on topics the readers feel passionate about. We hope this will spur more dialogue, new research, and your interest in toxicology and the journal. In addition, feedback from the members of AACT, EAPCCT, and AAPCC encouraged the inclusion of articles on clinical pathologic conferences or teaching case formats, adverse drug events, and forensics. We welcome your submissions of these types of articles.
Electronic media has integrated itself into our daily lives over the last decade and the journal has responded by publishing on-line articles as they are accepted and all of the content of each completed issue. Supplementary material is often available on-line when not in print. Nonetheless, the print edition remains a very popular medium for the journal, and it will hopefully contain something of interest for each of you. Communication by electronic social media networks (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn) has also become popular. This is a potential opportunity for the journal to increase connections and communication among the editorial board, authors, readership, and publisher. We will be evaluating and implementing a presence in this area, most likely via the LinkedIn network. Other social networking outlets may be evaluated as time, resources, and demand dictate.
With guidance from the sponsoring societies, editorial board, peer reviewers, and the readership, the editorial team intends to wisely grow the journal to be more useful in your education and practice. Winston Churchill stated that “there is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction.” Hopefully, we will guide the journal in that direction and expect to hear from you promptly if we veer off course.
Declaration of interest
The author is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal. The author alone is responsible for the content and writing of the paper.
References
- Bateman DN, Caravati EM. A change at the journal helm. Clin Toxicol 2009;47:261–262.
- Hudson M, Cashin BV, Matlock AG, Kang C, Wills BK. A man with purple urine. Clin Toxicol 2012;50:77.
- Seifert S. Richard. Mead: one for the ages. Clin Toxicol 2011;49: 53–55.
- Pressure immobilization after North American Crotalinae snake envenomation. Clin Toxicol 2011;49:881–882.
- Bronstein AC, Spyker DA, Cantilena LR, Green JL, Rumack BH, Dart RC, . 2010 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers’ National Poison Data System (NPDS): 28th Annual Report. Clin Toxicol 2011;49:910–941.
- Ellington L, Poynton M, Reblin M, Latimer S, Bennett HK, Crouch B, . Communication patterns for the most serious poison center calls. Clin Toxicol 2011;49:316–323.