From KaiserNetwork.org:
The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday examined patientINFORM, a Web site that will offer free access to medical journal articles on cancer, heart disease and diabetes and “plain-language explanations” of the studies’ implications for patients. The project is a collaboration by the American Cancer Society, the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association. Each month, the groups will review hundreds of published studies from more than two dozen journals, and experts will then translate the studies into lay language for consumers, including explanations of the studies’ meaning, how they compare to current knowledge on the issue and how patients should use them in making treatment decisions. According to the Journal, the project comes as “pressure continues to mount” for medical journals to provide the public with better access to research.