Journalist Lisa Marshall
When Colorado-based freelance well being and science journalist Lisa Marshall obtained a tip from an editor at WebMD to look into sensible bandages — devices that incorporate sensors and/or synthetic intelligence expertise to observe a wound because it heals — she stated she had no concept the marketplace for wound care was so massive.
Her Sept. 6 story for WebMD and Medscape, “New AI-Enhanced Bandages Poised to Transform Wound Treatment,” provides an attention-grabbing look into a number of sorts of these units that might quickly be accessible in addition to the broad scope of sufferers who may doubtlessly profit from them.
Right here, Marshall talks with AHCJ about how she reported the story and the way different journalists could make expertise tales accessible to put readers.
Responses have been calmly edited for brevity and readability.
What you on this story?
I do quite a lot of work for WebMD. They’re truly one in all my favourite purchasers, as a result of they actually encourage their writers to dig in and nerd out on the science. My editor truly advised this story, as a result of she had been seeing a ton of research popping out associated to new bandage applied sciences and he or she requested me to look into it. To be trustworthy, I wasn’t initially that enthusiastic about it, as a result of I didn’t actually perceive the functions. However as soon as I began to appreciate who they may assist, it grew to become a way more attention-grabbing story to me.
How did you discover the sources you interviewed?
My editor despatched me a few hyperlinks to research, however I often go straight to EurekAlert! (the American Affiliation for the Development of Science’s web site for science information releases) and begin wanting round. I spent quite a lot of time on there simply seeing who was doing analysis on this space. Then, with each story I write, I all the time attempt to discover a actual particular person who’s going to learn. However this was such a delicate topic that I had a very arduous time discovering somebody. I attempted actually arduous to get an individual who truly had skilled persistent wounds. I went on Fb pages and I simply saved putting out, so the second neatest thing was to discover a clinician who labored with these individuals. I did discover somebody from a wound clinic. She was nice as a result of not less than she may discuss who will profit from these bandages.
In your article, you described a number of prototypes of sensible bandages utilizing easy descriptions. Did your sources make it easier to translate the science into lay language?
The sources helped me break it down for certain. I additionally discovered a few evaluate papers, which had been actually useful in taking a form of large image of the subject and getting it translated in lay language. They defined how a wound is meant to heal, and described the method — we made a cool graphic out of that — but additionally defined how these completely different applied sciences work.
What was vital to you in telling this story?
So typically after I write about whiz-bang new medical expertise, which I are likely to do rather a lot, it’s actually costly and inaccessible. I’ve accomplished quite a lot of work round Alzheimer’s analysis and, sadly, a few of the most promising therapies are utterly unaffordable for lots of people. Proper now, I’m engaged on a chunk about weight problems, and quite a lot of these actually promising weight problems medicine are actually unaffordable, or they’re not lined [by insurance]. [So] a lot expertise serves a really small, rich sector of the inhabitants. I actually began to love this bandage story after I realized that a few of these are tremendous low-cost to fabricate they usually can profit people who find themselves housing insecure, individuals who dwell in creating nations, and others; they usually might be able to go in a few years. This isn’t pie within the sky, possibly it’ll occur in a decade. This might occur now.
What was most attention-grabbing to you that you simply discovered throughout reporting this story?
I had completely no concept that persistent wounds had been such a horrible well being situation, and that folks had been dropping their limbs over these. I simply didn’t even understand it was a factor. That form of blew my thoughts. Speaking to those clinicians and listening to about how these wounds don’t heal and the way they have an effect on individuals’s lives, that was very eye-opening to be taught that this was such an enormous drawback. I’ve been writing about well being and medical science for 30 years and I haven’t run throughout this a lot. I felt prefer it was a narrative that doesn’t get instructed fairly often.
What recommendation do you will have for different reporters protecting new applied sciences?
All the time discover the human factor. It may be difficult whenever you’re writing about actually nerdy tech stuff to seek out the, “Why do I care?” human factor, however I believe it helps in case you can. If you happen to can’t discover an precise particular person or a affected person who’s going to learn, the following neatest thing with medical tales is to not less than discuss to clinicians who can share anecdotes about how individuals will profit.
