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General Medicine Top Stories for 2009

The editors' and readers' top stories from the past year

Everyone seems to enjoy "Top 10" lists. So, this year, in addition to our usual practice of providing an Annual Review of what the Journal Watch General Medicine editors considered to be the most important thematic areas in clinical research, we're also introducing a new feature: Top Editors' Choices and Top Readers' Choices.

The Editor's Choices are 10 summaries that the Journal Watch General Medicine editors believe are especially important single summaries that were published in Journal Watch General Medicine this year. The Editors' Choices essentially reflect the stories in our Annual Review feature and highlight what we considered to be the most compelling article that was discussed in each reviewed area.

In contrast, the Readers' Choices are the summaries that were viewed most often by online registered users and subscribers. The Readers' Choices lean more toward summaries that answer point-of-care questions ("Should I prescribe vitamin D to all of my older patients?"). As the top pick, readers chose an essay on tight glucose control ("How Much Evidence Do We Need to Change Practices in Which We Firmly Believe?") that generated an international discussion on the "Reader Remarks" portion of our website.

We hope that you'll examine these lists and consider reviewing the summaries that they comprise. In each case, our readers, editors, or both feel that the selected summaries are important to your practice. You might find your own personal favorite in one of these lists or discover some hidden pearls that escaped your attention. If you would like to express your personal opinions on any of these summaries, please feel free to use our "Reader Remarks" feature, which is available for every Journal Watch summary.

Best wishes for 2010.

— Allan S. Brett, MD

Published in Journal Watch General Medicine December 29, 2009

Reader Remarks:

Read all Reader Remarks on this article

• HINI
  Michael P Dailey, Infectious Disease Sevices of GA, 30 Dec 2009 11:21 AM EST
  Articles have generally stressed the similarity of H1N1 to seasonal influenza. In my career I have not seen death due... [more]