FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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  • How does the Thomson Message Mapping System work?

    The Thomson Message Mapping System is an ongoing process that evaluates knowledge in publicly available resources, from the point of view of the prescribing clinician. This is the process by which the key ideas and messages published about a product in journal articles, abstracts, monographs, posters, and more, are identified, categorized, and quantitatively scored from the point of view of the practicing clinician. The results can then be used to assess the impact these messages will have on the attitudes and treatment habits of clinicians.

    For more information on the methodology behind the message mapping process:
    TMMS Methodology 45 KB

  • What proof is there that the TMMS system truly works?

    To learn new ways to improve the value of publication planning and medical writing, Astrolabe Analytica, Inc.* and the University of Alabama School of Medicine at Birmingham performed a study of the reading habits of physicians. Their findings were presented at the 64th Annual Conference of the American Medical Writers Association in St. Louis, Missouri, October 2004 and at the Annual Conference for the Alliance of Continuing Medical Education in San Francisco, California January 2005.

    This large study confirmed that clinicians continue to rely on the scientific literature to learn about new drugs, advances in therapies, and new uses for old products. The study also showed what clinicians value most as they read an article.

    Factors Influencing Interpretation of Medical Literature by Practicing Physicians (in rank order):

    1. Quality of information presented
    2. How well key concepts are supported by data
    3. Quality of the journal
    4. Format of presentation
    5. Reputation of sponsor
    6. Reputation of investigators
    7. Commercial sponsorship

    Knowing more about how clinicians interpret the literature can help improve scientific communication efforts. For more information on this study:

    • Study Results 326 KB
    • The poster presentation 43 KB

    * Since this study has taken place Astrolabe Analytica, Inc. has aligned its businesses, solutions, and employees with Thomson Scientific

  • What is the process used to build an objective analysis of messaging?

    The TMMS utilizes a process which starts by focusing the customer's information needs according to the therapeutic areas their products influence. The process for building the foundation information for a new therapeutic area on TMMS takes a few months. It starts with identifying the key sources of information and defining what the range of publication dates of the information sources. Sources include primary and review articles, abstracts and posters. Thomson Scientific has a staff of reviewers who examine the content for relevance. The user of the final product can access a list of everything that was reviewed in this process. Source numbers are assigned to the information that is actually used by Thomson Scientific and customers with subscriptions can access those original sources.

    Content deemed relevant by the reviewers is then forwarded to analysts who assign an evidence-based score based on an assessment of key message attributes look at:

    • Science? .. Is the underlying science, methodology, and data relevant and clear? [Source Score]
    • Credibility? .. How well is the message supported by the article? [Message Factor]
    • Format? .. Is the data comprehensively presented? [Article, monograph, poster, abstract, etc.]
    • Quality? .. Is the publication enhancing credibility? [JCR Impact Factor]

  • How are the analysis results presented?

    The TMMS uses a unique, user-friendly, question-driven interface to quickly guide subscribers to practical answers to their needs. The TMMS has been designed for use by those in:

    •  Publication planning and included communications
    •  New business development
    •  Medical affairs as MSL support

    The results of a TMMS analysis can be presented to colleagues and management with the aid of more than 60 tabular and graphical formats.

    The changing results of an ongoing TMMS analysis are made available to you through a password-protected website, providing 24-hour access. This allows your global team immediate access to up-to-date information regarding your product and its competitors. Only a web browser is needed and no internal IT support is required to implement the TMMS.