REPORT: December 2006

Letters to the Editor

ANA President: New publication best for members

To the Editor:

Now that American Nurse Today, the new journal of the American Nurses Association, is available and receiving very favorable reviews, I am confident that the high quality of the periodical will speak for itself. However, the letter to the editor written by Betsy Todd in the July/August 2006 NYSNA Report, “Journal switch should concern NYSNA members,” contained patent misrepresentations that require correction.

The writer suggested that ties exist between our new partner, HealthCom Media (HCM) and the pharmaceutical industry and questioned the editorial independence of American Nurse Today. In fact, Health Affinities LLC, doing business as HCM, for several years has focused exclusively on healthcare publishing.

HCM has “firewall” policies and procedures that ensure separation between American Nurse Today’s advertising and editorial departments. This is consistent with professional journal publishing industry standards. Let me be clear: the editorial content of ANA’s official journal is completely distinct from its sources of advertising revenue.
The editor-in-chief of American Nurse Today, Pamela Cipriano, PhD, RN, FAAN, and the editorial advisory board are eminent leaders in nursing. Dr. Cipriano, who also serves as Chief Clinical Officer and Chief Nursing Officer at the University of Virginia Health System, has been a distinguished practitioner, educator, and researcher with more than 30 years of experience in clinical practice. She and the advisory board will oversee the editorial direction of American Nurse Today with full editorial independence. All articles are peer-reviewed and are the best evidence-based information on topics representing best nursing practices.

Since 1996, ANA has provided its official journal at no cost to members. The final offer of Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, publisher of the American Journal of Nursing, provided for discounted subscriptions for ANA members and royalties for ANA. This may have seemed beneficial to both parties, but the cost to members was unacceptable to the ANA leadership, constituent member associations, and the membership.

We wish AJN well. We hope that your members will be better informed prior to sending in letters to be published. We stand ready to assist you in any way in this critical work.

— Rebecca M. Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR
President, American Nurses Association