Editorial

Welcome to the latest issue of the Journal of Visual Communication in Medicine. Looking back over the past year, it must be one of the strangest in living memory for many people around the world. It has also been a difficult and particularly busy year for many of us. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to thank our publishers, the editorial board, and everyone who has contributed to the journal for helping to keep things running smoothly.

Many of us have developed new working practices and skills. Some of us have been working from home, often juggling caring responsibilities with work. Over the years, medical illustration has become more and more digital, which has no doubt helped in enabling many in the field to adapt more easily to home working. Conversely, many of our readers also work in healthcare settings and have had to overcome many new challenges in the workplace, as reflected in Timothy Zoltie’s useful paper COVID-19 decontamination procedures for photographic equipment in a secondary care setting from the final issue of last year’s volume.

This last year has also highlighted the importance of clear communication in relation to public health (and what happens when this is not the case). A variety of artistic mediums can be utilised in public health communications, including comics, as outlined in Ciléin and Nethmi Kearns excellent paper The role of comics in public health communication during the COVID-19 pandemic, from issue 3 of last year’s volume.

Going forward, 2021 looks set to be another unusual year, although hopefully bringing it the promise of a vaccine and better treatment options. However, life will likely not return to how it was before, at least not straight away, and maybe that is not all bad. As we move forward, we each have opportunity to reflect on the lessons learnt and the changes that we want to keep, both individually and as a society. Flexible and remote working options work well for many, and online events and conferences can help widen access, especially for those with disabilities. Of course, access to high speed internet and online resources is not equitable and must also be taken into consideration. The importance of clear public health communication cannot be underestimated and will continue to be vital in the weeks and months ahead, especially as vaccination programmes are rolled out around the world.

I look forward to seeing the contributions to the journal that 2021 brings, and I hope you enjoy reading them.