HelpDesk Answers (HDAs) are brief, structured, evidence-based answers to clinical questions. HDAs are
450 to 600 words, drawing from the best available recent evidence including: meta-analyses, evidencebased guidelines or original research. HDAs are peer reviewed and published in Evidence-Based Practice, a monthly journal produced by the Family Physicians Inquiries Network (FPIN), and distributed to more than 5,000 physicians and libraries worldwide. HDAs are also reproduced in The Journal of Family
Practice, American Family Physician, Missouri Family Physician and others.
We offer these instructions to make your writing of an HDA go smoothly. If you have questions about the HelpDesk Answers project, please contact the HDA Project Management Editor: hda@fpin.org
.
All resident authors must be partnered with a faculty corresponding author , who will serve as the author on a paper. Faculty corresponding authors should be experienced in writing HDAs and thus can be of great help to first-time authors.
Please note:
1.
Before an author can sign up for a question, completion of the HDA learning path on the FPIN
Institute is required.
2.
Authors are only allowed to work on one HDA at a time. If you already have one in progress, you must complete that one before signing up to author another. Only faculty corresponding authors can sign up for questions. They will also be the only authors to receive communication regarding the manuscript from FPIN’s Editorial Management System (EMS) .
3.
All manuscripts must be submitted through the EMS .
I.
Complete the HDA Learning Path in the FPIN Institute
II.
Develop a Plan of Action
III.
Select a Question a.
Choose an approved question from our HDA sign-up form on the FPIN website b.
Due Date/Extension Policy
IV.
Conduct a Smart Search
V.
Evaluate and Grade the Evidence
VI.
HDA Writing Template
VII.
FPIN’s Plagiarism Policy
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VIII.
Peer Review and Editorial Review
IX.
Dirty Dozen
X.
Stumbling Blocks
I.
Complete HDA Learning Track in the FPIN Institute a.
Prior to signing up for an HDA, each author is required to complete the HDA learning track on the FPIN Institute at www.fpin.org/institute /hda. b.
You will need to enter the universal member password: family1516 c.
Here you will find links to the course pages and the HDA comprehensive quiz d.
To sign-up for a topic after completing the courses, simply go to www.fpin.org/sign-up and enter the universal member password: family1516
II.
Develop a Plan of Action a.
Visit the FPIN website , and read through the HDA member resources to become familiar with them. These documents are designed to assist you with the literature search, assigning SORs, STEPs, etc. They can be found under the HelpDesk Answers button on the FPIN home page. b.
Review several issues of the Evidence-Based Practice journal to become familiar with the general layout, format and style. You can access previous EBP issues at www.fpin.org/ebp-archives (enter universal member password: family1516). c.
If you are a first-time author, recruit a faculty corresponding author to work with you. d.
Develop a game plan, set goals and meet with your faculty corresponding author and local editor regularly. Each program is designed to have a local editor. This is a faculty member who will oversee the project and serve as an internal editor for each author. If you don’t already know who your local editor is, please contact your faculty corresponding author.
III.
Select a Question – choose one of the two options below: a.
Choose an approved question or propose your own from the HDA sign-up form on the
FPIN website .
HelpDesk Answers authors have the choice of either selecting a question from the available list of
HDA topics (which is updated monthly) or proposing their own clinical question. It’s up to each i.
author team which option they choose, but either can be completed through the process outlined below. Note: Only faculty corresponding authors are able to complete the HDA sign-up form as part of FPIN’s Corresponding Author Policy .
Go to www.fpin.org and hover over the HDAs main menu tab. From the HDAs dropdown menu, select ‘Sign-Up Forms.’ Here you will enter the universal FPIN password, which is family1516 . Click ‘Submit’ to proceed to FPIN’s sign-up form landing page.
ii.
In the middle of the next page, either click on the ‘Sign Up for a Question’ or
‘Propose a Question’ button.
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iii.
Complete either form, correctly identifying your name, residency program or department, email address, cell phone number and any potential co-authors. iv.
Once you have read and understand FPIN’s due date and extension policy, you will then have access to either select a question from the website or propose your own question.
 If you decide to propose your own question, you will have three open slots for your proposed questions. Please note that question approval takes two to three weeks as both our Editor-in-Chief and Librarian review the question to ensure there are no duplicate questions in process and that your topic meets the HDA style. FPIN suggests proposing a minimum of two questions to ensure you only have to go through the approval process once.
 If you choose to select a question from our available pool of HDA topics, you will have access to the list of questions in a dropdown list at the end of the form. Carefully select the question you would like to answer from the list. v.
Click the ‘Next’ button and you should receive a confirmation that your HDA sign-up form was submitted correctly. You will then receive an email from the EMS within
two business days inviting you to submit your manuscript in 45 days. If you have submitted a question for approval, you will receive an invitation from the EMS
within two business days after your questions is approved. If you have any questions, contact the project manager at hda@fpin.org
. For additional support with the EMS, please visit the EMS Help Page . b.
Due Date/Extension Policy
Due dates for manuscripts are strictly enforced. Authors are responsible for submitting their draft by the assigned due date. If an extension is needed, it must be submitted before the due date to the EMS . Manuscripts that are not submitted or extended by their due date may be terminated and the question will be reposted to this sign-up list. Each author team will be allowed ONE four-week extension during the writing process, no questions asked.
Additional extensions are only granted with HDA Editor-in-Chief approval, for rare and extenuating circumstances. We do this to ensure professional standards and to make sure these important clinical questions are being answered and disseminated for the FPIN community in a timely manner.
This policy will apply throughout the editorial process, with all versions. If your question/topic is taken away due to missed deadlines, you will have the opportunity to sign-up for a different question/topic. Please stay in communication with FPIN at all times so we can assist you in bringing your projects to publication in a timely manner.
IV.
Conducting a Smart Search
To begin your search, break your question into the PICO format, P = population, I = intervention, C = comparison and O = outcome of interest. Please refer to the HDA Institute
Module, Conducting a Smart Search, before beginning your search. (Please note, if you choose this option, contact the Project Management Editor at hda@fpin.org
for information on how to access the modules).
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1.
TRIP Database www.tripdatabase.com
This MetaSearch will simultaneously search journals and guidelines.
Sift carefully and refer to this list of sources to prioritize the articles found. This can be found on the FPIN website under the HDA resources. Focus on Evidence Based Synopses, Systematic
Reviews, and Guidelines. If you do not find what you need, TRIP will also provide the Medline result for your search terms. Look in the Medline Articles: Systematic Reviews section for filtered results.
2.
FPIN Search: www.fpin.org or direct at https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/handle/10355/2787
Includes PURLs, Clinical Inquiries, and HDAs.
Use the new TRIP Search Wizard based on PICO at: http://tripdatabase.com/search/wizard
Search Suggestions: a.
Focus on the last three to five years of data, although you may go back further if absolutely necessary. b.
Your search should not take more than two to four hours. If you find yourself putting in more time, ask for help defining the terms accurately. c.
Most published HDAs have three-five references. If you have only one reference, you may need to expand your search. If you have more than five references, you may need to narrow your question or be more selective in the evidence you report. However, you may only have one or two good resources and that’s ok. d.
Discuss your search results with your co-author earlier rather than later. Identifying the strongest evidence is your goal. Discussing the evidence helps to formulate a clear answer. e.
Even though TRIP database has guidelines, you may also search through National
Guideline Clearinghouse. f.
If the above search tools do not work, you may need to expand to Medline via Pubmed or Ovid.
V.
Evaluate and Grade the Evidence a.
Once you have identified a source of evidence, appraise it for validity. i.
The strength of recommendation (SOR)(included in the Evidence-Based
Answer) can be determined using the following guide: Strength of
Recommendation Taxonomy (SORT): A patient-centered approach to grading evidence in the medical literature www.aafp.org/afp/20040201/548.html
ii.
The levels of evidence (Step 1, Step 2, etc.) (included in the Resources) can be determined using the following guide: Center for Evidence-Based Medicine http://www.cebm.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/CEBM-Levels-of-Evidence-
2.1.pdf
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iii.
Statistics can be deciphered by referring to the HDA module #5, Synthesizing the Statistics in the FPIN Institute. b.
HDA contributors should obtain permission from authors and publishers for the use of quotes, tables, and other materials taken from previously-published works not in the public domain. Electronic or paper letters of permission should accompany the manuscript as separate attachments. Please mention the original source in the figure legend or table footnote. c.
Remember: There are a couple of modules on the FPIN Institute that will help with these steps.
VI.
HDA Writing Template a.
Prepare to Write. HDAs are VERY structured, concise articles that deliver the bottom line and supporting evidence only – no editorializing or personal biases. ‘Just the facts!’ i.
Plan your evidence summary with an outline or by organizing a brief paragraph on each piece of evidence you have selected to support your answer. Evidence should be offered beginning with the strongest and moving to the weakest. ii.
Using your evidence summary, begin by drafting your evidence-based answer.
This should be a 35 to 75 word paragraph that directly answers your FPIN question. Add the SOR at the end of your answer with an explanatory phrase. iii.
List the references (strongest first) and make sure each reference in the evidence summary corresponds with the reference list. For example, paragraph one in the Evidence Summary should correspond to reference one. Assign a
STEP to each reference using the 2011 CEBM Levels of Evidence table. b.
Check Your Manuscript for Clarity and Quick Understanding. The Editor-in-Chief has several special requests: i.
Make an effort to convert statistical information into user-friendly statistics
(numbers needed to treat, confidence intervals, likelihood ratios, etc.) ii.
Compose the manuscript using transparency: Describe the studies, rather than just stating the results. A good example would be: “oral magnesium sulfate 430
mg once daily or placebo for 6 weeks” instead of “magnesium sulfate or
placebo” iii.
Format the manuscript according to the Anatomy of an HDA (HDA Resources document #101).
1.
HDAs are usually 450-600 words long, including references. (500 words, if a table is included).
2.
Small tables and figures are useful ways to represent a large amount of data in a reader-friendly manner. They should be self-explanatory, clearly organized, and supplemental to the text of the manuscript; avoid duplicating material in the text and the table. Be sure to get permission to use tables from other articles.
3.
List the references using the American Medical Association Manual of
Style, 10 th edition. This can be found under the HDA resources, document #109 AMA Style Guide for Citing References .
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iv.
Complete the Author Checklist (HDA Resources document #110)
VII.
FPIN’s Plagiarism Policy
Plagiarism is unacceptable for any FPIN publication. If a sentence or paragraph is intentionally used from an existing publication, that sentence or paragraph should be placed in quotation marks and the original authors attributed.
In accordance with the recommendation from the International Committee of Medical Journal
Editors (ICMJE), FPIN initiates procedures detailed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE ).
If a plagiarism breach is suspected, FPIN will conduct a full investigation of discovery to determine the severity, cause, and details. A formal inquiry will be sent to the author team. The project’s
Editor-in-Chief and/or FPIN’s Executive Editor will make the final determination regarding action, which could include rejecting the manuscript and in some circumstances future FPIN work.
VIII.
Peer Review and Editorial Review a.
After you have worked with your faculty corresponding author and local editor, and all are in agreement, your faculty corresponding author will then submit the draft to the
EMS . To review the next steps, please view the EMS Author Instructions .
IX.
Dirty Dozen (HDA Resources document #116)
X.
Stumbling Blocks (HDA Resources document #115)
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