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Today’s
world is, in many ways, unimaginably
different from that of even 50 years
ago. The dominant driver for such
change is a new knowledge, and its
translation into new ways of doing
things. The first online journal
of family medicine for the Middle
East has started despite all obstacles,
as the idea behind the journal is
unique, and futuristic. From its
beginning, the specialty of family
practice has also distinguished
itself as unique. Family practice
even earned itself the designation
of a "counterculture"
specialty, not surprising given
the individualism and rebelliousness
of those who entered family practice
in the early years of the specialty.
The Middle
East Journal of Family Medicine
(MEJFM) is a new peer-reviewed journal
to meet the needs of scientists,
practitioners, policymakers, and
the patients and communities they
serve in the Middle-East. It is
born out of the growing need for
the exchange of ideas and research
results in the region. It will foster
a knowledge base for caring for
individuals, families, societies
and communities. The Mission of
the Journal will be to promote family
medicine in the Middle East. The
journal will publish original clinical
and educational research of interest
to primary care specialties, practicing
clinicians, residents and others
involved in primary care and community
medicine education. Faculty development
and clinical research and methods
will be also featured in the journal.
It will include state of the art
review articles based on evidence
based medicine and teaching case
reports. Reflections from editorial
members, clinicians and policy makers
will be included as well. Environmental
health and control of environmental
hazards will receive attention,
in addition to the effect of war
on health.
The aim of
the journal will be to provide academically
sound, clinically practical information
for family and general physicians,
in addition to the promotion of
the specialty of family medicine
in the Middle East Region.
The Journal
will be published twice in the first
year. The frequency will be once
every three months in the second
year, followed by once every two
months from the third year onward.
The Middle East Journal of Family
Medicine web site (http://www.mejfm.com)
provides access to the online journal
and the daily news for family doctors,
the notice board, and the MEJFM
browser. The full-text online journal
is available free to all. This encourages
sharing new knowledge about primary
care and health systems in the Middle
East. The journal represents an
unparalleled collaborative effort
by two departments of family medicine
in the region, community centers,
Australian Family Physician (Royal
Australian College of General Practitioners)
and medi+World International.
The
editorial and peer-review processes
of the journal have full editorial
autonomy from both organizational
and commercial pressures. A prominent
regional and international Editorial
Board facilitates to direct the
journal to achieve its mission and
foster regional, and international
participation.
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