StayWell’s Editorial Process for Interactive Tools
New-Tool Development Process
StayWell’s interactive tools (assessments, quizzes, and calculators) are developed in a multi-step process that involves experts in medicine, information design, and technical programming and testing. The steps in the process are as follows:
1. The product manager, in consultation with the medical and editorial directors, outlines the requirements for a new tool.
2. The medical director researches scientific journals and credible government and nonprofit web sites for information that needs to be incorporated into the tool.
3. The medical director and editorial director develop the medical logic for the tool and write the first draft text for the tool.
4. A staff editor reviews the text and modifies as necessary for readability, reading level, organization, language, and style.
5. After the logic and text have been finalized, the programmers build the tool in JavaScript and test the functionality.
6. When the programmers are satisfied that the tool functions correctly, the web designer applies the design elements that surround the tool.
7. When the tool is complete, the product manager coordinates quality assurance and usability testing.
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a.Quality assurance testing is performed by the editorial staff and the medical director and editorial director—to check that the logic and content are rendered correctly—and by the product management team, to check that the tool looks and functions as specified.
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b.Usability testing is performed by designated lay testers to ensure the tool is easy to use, its design is intuitive, and the content is easy to read and understand.
8. When QA testing is complete and the product manager is satisfied with the tool, it is added to StayWell’s suite of products and displayed on the product demo site.
Review and Update Process
StayWell’s interactive tools are reviewed on an annual basis to ensure medical accuracy. If significant guideline changes or medical advances take place between annual reviews, the affected tools are revised accordingly at that time. StayWell’s medical director and editorial director manage the review and update process; the annual review itself is performed by outside medical experts who are chosen for their area of expertise and practical and clinical experience.
The steps in the annual review and update process are as follows:
1. To stay abreast of medical advances and trends, the medical director and editorial director review print and electronic medical information sources weekly or monthly, depending on frequency of publication. These sources are listed below.
2. When the annual review date for a tool approaches, the editorial director assigns a medical reviewer to evaluate the tool and make recommendations for revisions, if necessary, to keep the content in line with current medical standards.
3. The medical director and editorial director review and approve the reviewer’s recommendations; the revisions are given to a staff editor, who incorporates them into the tool and obtains final approval from the medical director.
4. When the revisions have been made, the “Last Reviewed Date” and “Last Modified Date” are updated in the content database; these dates are displayed on the website for every tool and indicate that the last review has been done within the past year.
5. For tools that are reviewed and do not require updates, the “Last Reviewed Date” is updated to indicate that the review has been done without any changes being required.
The following print sources are reviewed as part of Step 1:
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Annals of Internal Medicine
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JAMA
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Journal of Pediatrics
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Nature
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New England Journal of Medicine
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Patient Care
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Science
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Science News
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Monthly reports from the Departments of Health of various states
Electronic sources regularly reviewed include:
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Centers for Disease Control (disease information and surveillance)
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National Center for Health Statistics (part of CDC)
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Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
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National Institutes of Health web sites (for example, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; National Cancer Institute; SEER program)
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National Center for Biotechnology Information’s online genetic disorder database
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U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
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U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (UPSTF)
E-mail updates come from:
These conferences provide information on the application of the latest research findings and clinical practice guidelines.
Approved by members of the Quality Assurance Committee 8/10/2005