Letter From the Lipid Spin Editors: NLA CME: A Culture of Policing Ourselves

Lipid Spin is but one NLA educational offering. As editors we are pleased to bring these issues to clinicians on a regular basis. Lipid Spin is peer reviewed. The subject matter is always trying to address how we can better take care of the patients/clients we serve. Our focus is prevention. Because we are always trying to prevent ravages of CVD for everyone, by definition some of what we offer will always be useful for some and not useful for others. We need to remind everyone from time to time that many of the articles here provide clinical opinions. Peer review is not a perfect process. There is always an element of subjectivity involved. However it is the best way we have to try to avoid conflicts of interest. We strive to bring you useful information from a clinical perspective. Always be aware that articles presented are opinions of the authors and as such do not imply NLA endorsement. One of my favorite maxims is that strong opinion is the lowest form of evidence. Often the stronger the opinion the least amount of data behind the opinion!

The educational efforts of the NLA are undergoing a massive structural change for peer review to deal with issues of subjectivity and/or potential conflicts of interest. We recognize that all of us have ‘bias’. We all have our likes, dislikes and each of us has a relatively limited view of the world of science around us given the massive differences, experiences and individuality as we apply the information we learn about.

As a professional educational organization we are guided by governing bodies that try to assure that all professional organizations do their best to avoid conflicts of interest. In short we have national guidelines that we adhere to as we strive to make our educational efforts second to none. The NLA has many educational offerings and the process of peer review requires our own policing. Fortunately, we have unanimous opinions amongst the leadership that this is a priority for the NLA. As you attend the regional and national meetings please be aware that presenters are given guidance as to acceptable content and their presentations are reviewed for compliance. We ask that everyone help in this effort. If a potential conflict of interest arises, real or perceived, for any of our educational offerings, let us know so that we can look into it.

We feel strongly as an educational organization that we all benefit from this effort to strive to be the premier organization for the clinician in the practice of Clinical Lipidology. Help us all by doing your part. Help us move to clarity and give us feedback. Not until we know how we can help you can we learn how best to provide what is useful and meaningful to each of you. We welcome your input. Be part of this culture. Let your regional president know if you have any concerns, and most importantly, you have suggestions regarding how best to improve our efforts. There are a number of considerations that we have to deal with: logistics, costs, feasibility, relevance, timeliness, etc. Rest assured however that our hearts are in the right place. Help us move to excellence.

We hope that you enjoy this publication and recognize that it has a place. Also recognize that helping us by giving us feedback in the long run will allow us to serve you better.