''BMJ USA: Primary Care Medicine for the American Physician'' was a monthly

peer-review Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work (peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer review ...

medical journal A medical journal is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that communicates medical information to physicians, other health professionals. Journals that cover many medical specialties are sometimes called general medical journals. History The first ...

published by the

BMJ Group BMJ (branded as BMJ Group until 2013) is a British publisher of medical journals. Established in 1840, the company is owned by the British Medical Association. Publications * 1840: '' Provincial Medical and Surgical Journal'' (later renamed th ...

as a

sister journal In academic publishing, a sister journal, mirror journal or companion journal is a newer academic journal that is affiliated with an older, better-established journal in the same field. Examples *''JAAD Case Reports'' is a sister journal to the ''J ...

to ''

the BMJ ''The BMJ'' is a weekly peer-reviewed medical trade journal, published by the trade union the British Medical Association (BMA). ''The BMJ'' has editorial freedom from the BMA. It is one of the world's oldest general medical journals. Origi ...

''. It was intended to publish material specifically relevant to readers in the United States. It was established in 2001 and was discontinued permanently in 2005.

History

''BMJ USA'' was launched in February 2001 by the BMJ Group, in conjunction with the

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New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

-based publishing company Clinicians Group. The founding

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of the journal was Ronald Davis, who was also the

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

n editor for ''the BMJ'' at the time. Its original plan was to publish mostly articles from ''the BMJ'' that were particularly relevant to American

primary care physician A primary care physician (PCP) is a physician who provides both the first contact for a person with an undiagnosed health concern as well as continuing care of varied medical conditions, not limited by cause, organ system, or diagnosis. The term ...

s, as well as similar articles from fellow BMJ Group journals such as ''

Heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide t ...

'' and '' Gut''. In an editorial in the inaugural issue, Davis and then-editor-in-chief of ''the BMJ''

Richard Smith Richard Smith may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Richard Penn Smith (1799–1854), American playwright * Richard Smith (silent film director) (1886–1937), American silent film director * Richard Smith (screenwriter), Scottish screenwriter, ...

wrote, "You will see very little etiologic or basic science research in ''the BMJ'' and ''BMJ USA''. You will, instead, find papers on the common diseases of primary care such as

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...

, depression, and

hypertension Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Long-term high bl ...

and

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

." Beginning when ''BMJ USA'' was first established, monthly issues were sent to 100,000 primary care doctors in the United States. The journal generally republished articles from ''the BMJ'' about two months after they were originally published. In addition to articles that had already been published in other BMJ Group journals, each issue contained an editorial by an American author, as well as a number of papers submitted specifically for publication in ''BMJ USA''. In 2002, it became available online. In September 2002, Steven Woolf (

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university in Richmond, Virginia. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, the Virgini ...

) became the new editor-in-chief of the journal, remaining in this position until 1 July 2003, when he was replaced by former Assistant

Surgeon General of the United States The surgeon general of the United States is the operational head of the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps (PHSCC) and thus the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the federal government of the United States. Th ...

Douglas Kamerow. The 51st and final issue of the journal was published in December 2005. In an editorial announcing the ending of ''BMJ USA'', Kamerow and editor-in-chief of ''the BMJ''

Fiona Godlee Fiona Godlee (born August 4, 1961) was editor in chief of ''The British Medical Journal'' from March 2005 until 31 December 2021; she was the first female editor appointed in the journal's history. She was also editorial director of the other jou ...

stated that, despite its popularity, the journal "...has fallen victim to the widespread downturn in US pharmaceutical advertising and has become financially unsustainable for the BMJ Publishing Group." ''BMJ USA'' contained more advertisements than ''the BMJ'', and almost all of its subscriptions were "controlled", or paid for by pharmaceutical companies. After ''BMJ USA'' shuttered, Kamerow, who had been its editor-in-chief, transitioned to the role of ''the BMJ''s US editor. In January 2006, ''the BMJ'' started "US Highlights", an online-only feature intended to emulate ''BMJ USA'' by compiling articles from ''the BMJ'' that were deemed especially relevant to an American audience.

References

External links

*{{Official website, https://web.archive.org/web/20030401210143/http://bmj.com:80/bmjusa/ (Archived) BMJ Group academic journals General medical journals Academic journals established in 2001 Publications disestablished in 2005 Academic journals published in the United States English-language journals Monthly journals