Editorial Standards and Review Process
The publisher and editors of Personal Best offer this statement of quality assurance to our subscribers.
Our editorial leadership represents more than five decades of experience in publishing wellness and
patient education materials for clients throughout the U.S. and Canada. To maintain the highest
possible quality of information, Personal Best adheres to rigorous documentation standards and review
by a long-standing Board of Health and Medical Advisors to ensure evidence-based content and effective
communication.
Purpose
The goal of Personal Best is to increase health and safety awareness and motivate positive
lifestyle habits fundamental to individual wellness and productivity vital to strengthening
business performance. To achieve this purpose, we seek to supply reliable, timely health and
lifestyle information the average person can easily comprehend. The literacy level of our
standard print and online materials is limited to 8th grade reading for the general public,
corporate wellness, and diverse industries; writing may be altered to meet the needs of groups
with lower–literacy needs and those using English as a second language.
As stated in our publications, this information is not intended to diagnose or endorse any
treatments, services, medicines or products. Readers are consistently instructed to seek
the advice of their primary health care providers before pursuing any treatment or significantly
altering lifestyle behavior.
Process
The Personal Best editorial staff selects and develops content based on the needs of its diverse
audience and guided by the expertise of its Board members for health and medical oversight. Following
Board review, the editors incorporate all comments and suggestions with additional research as needed.
For periodic newsletters, the majority of the editorial is based on a pre-established calendar of
topics prepared annually with solicited suggestions and requests from clients, contributing authors,
and the medical editors. Topics are researched and drafted three months in advance by the staff and
guest authors. The advisory board reviews each newsletter manuscript. Annual calendars and stock
topic-specific publications, such as brochures, posters and booklets also receive initial oversight
by board experts and ongoing review of updated content as best practices change and evolve.
NOTE to newsletter subscriber groups: You may be given an opportunity to preview
content two months prior to publication. This is a complimentary service that provides clients
with the manuscript via email. Clients have two weeks to complete their review and submit any
comments or requests for editorial evaluation and clarification.
Content Updates
For stock materials such as brochures, editors review all the original content in Personal Best
publications at least every two years and update them immediately whenever urgent, new information
renders existing content outdated. Such information may include: changes in federal guidelines for
nutrition and fitness recommendations, safety standards, or disease management and major medical
studies with the potential to affect prevention or screening guidelines. Each brochure is coded
with a Revision Date (R month/year date) to indicate when it was last reviewed and updated.
The Rdate indicates that the brochure has been updated as of that month and year. If the review
of the brochure indicates that it does not require revision, there is no date. The Rdate is placed
under the product code on the back middle panel of the brochure. NOTE: Brochures may be
reviewed and revised sooner than two years to restock a title or if changes in medical
knowledge warrant it. This process began in 2004 and is ongoing.
Content Selection
Content for multiple monthly newsletters, a growing library of stock materials, and all other
print and online communications is based on client surveys, primary public initiatives, national
health observances and advances in medical knowledge. Content is also chosen to address
high-prevalence health and safety issues and satisfy the communication needs of corporate
wellness initiatives and patient education programs.
Topics of primary interest include:
- Guidelines for the prevention, management and regular screening of diabetes, cancer,
hypertension, cardiovascular disease, obesity, asthma, chronic lung disease, arthritis,
and other chronic conditions.
- Awareness and identification of stroke, heart attack, osteoporosis, depression,
substance abuse and primary cancers (breast, prostate, cervical, colon).
- Preventing or managing colds and flu, insomnia, back pain, headache, repetitive
stress and other common ailments.
- Medication safety, provider-patient relations, and health care utilization.
- Child health and safety.
- Workplace safety and injury prevention.
- Work productivity and family balance issues.
- Stress management and mental health awareness.
- Behavior modification as it relates to the prevention and control of these health problems.
- Financial management.
Main Sources
For special features we seek the advice of local or national health care professionals in,
for example, cardiology, safety, psychology, nutrition, dentistry, and women's health. For
our U.S. publications, we observe guidelines published by the National Cancer Institute,
American Heart Association, American Medical Association, American Council on Exercise,
American College of Sports Medicine, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, National Safety Council, National Institutes of Health,
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, and the Surgeon General's office,
among other health officiating groups. For Canadian content, we consult guidelines provided by
authorities including Health Canada, the Canadian Medical Association, Canadian Cancer Society,
Canadian Diabetes Association, Heart and Stroke Foundation, Canada Safety Council and Grey Bruce
Health Unit (Ontario).
Studies cited have been reported in reputable medical or scientific publications such as the
Journal of the American Medical Association, New England Journal of Medicine,
Physician and Sports Medicine, and Annals of Internal Medicine. We stay informed
by following the daily news media and by studying periodicals including American Family
Physician, Family Safety & Health, Fitness Management, Employee Health & Fitness,
and American Journal of Health Promotion, as well as newsletters published by schools
of medicine at Berkeley, Columbia, Harvard, Tufts University and The Canada Safety Council.
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