Journal of Critical Care

Article Outline

• Copyright

The Journal of Critical Care (JCC) has a new look, a new responsibility, and a continued commitment to publishing research articles related to health systems research with the new goal of improving patient care by integrating critical care systems knowledge into practice behavior. On January 1, 2008, I was privileged to assume the responsibilities of Editor-in-Chief, and I look forward to working with our subscribers, editors, reviewers, and most importantly, our contributing authors to create the most desirable repository for research activity and expert reviews in the area of systems based practice in anesthesiology, perioperative, and critical care medicine.

The cover reflects the journal's new responsibility to the World Federation of Societies of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine, an organization of 42 national intensive/critical care societies representing some 32000 physicians and allied health professionals. Please look for exciting contributions and announcements from this organization and its members. The new international focus is anticipated to increase the research contributions from individuals engaged in systems research in constrained resource environments and, hopefully, will improve patient care through understanding the importance of systems performance in clinical care.

Another change for the journal is the merging of Seminars in Anesthesiology, Perioperative Medicine and Pain with the JCC. Seminars was a leader in peer-reviewed, themed issues dealing with subjects of current and sometimes controversial educational and research interest. The JCC will provide an improved venue for this content, and the Editorial Board and reviewers will be diligent in ensuring the highest level of publication scrutiny for all contributions.

The JCC will become an indispensable research publication for all team members involved in the care of perioperative and critically ill patients. Individuals will recognize the importance of team-based practice and the use of identified protocols in the effective management of complex patients in sophisticated and confusing health care environments and systems. Despite the fact that the Internet is ubiquitous, the information infrastructure in many of our hospitals lags behind that of our cell phone that permits global communication by voice, video, and text with optional additional advantages of GPS location tracking and sophisticated information search. To take full advantage of these electronic capabilities, we have had to learn new behaviors, tolerate electronic interruptions, and understand a new way of life. It is interesting that we are unwilling to adopt practice behaviors in our professional lives that could have far greater impact on patient care and system efficiency than any personal benefit derived from society's adoption of personalized ring tones and instant text messaging. The JCC intends to accommodate behavioral research and practice that will accommodate the transition from the possible to the accomplished.

Authors interested in submitting manuscripts should correspond directly to the JCC Web site at http://www.jccjournal.org. Please follow the prompts to ensure timely assignment of reviewers and a prompt review and decision. I look forward to submissions that will ensure the JCC's position as the leading site for health systems research as well as creating a forum in which submissions incorporating perioperative and critical care medicine research and education will be accepted. The JCC will become recognized as the journal in which topics relevant to all aspects of the care of the perioperative and critically ill patient will be examined and discussed. The systems in which care is delivered will be analyzed, and programmatic changes necessary to incorporate their appropriate conclusion will be explored.

I would appreciate feedback from researchers, hospital administrators, educational leaders, and our current subscribers and authors to help the JCC meet the needs of its subscribers to provide the value added necessary to make it relevant and valuable. Please contact me at journal.criticalcare@gmail.com; I shall review all suggestions and implement the most appropriate for the JCC's mission.