Survey helps dermatology nursing set editorial direction: readers rate journal #1 benefit of DNA membership

Dermatology Nursing, Feb, 2008 by Katie Brownlow

Several factors contribute to the success of Dermatology Nursing. Not only do we, the editorial staff, rely on high-quality editorial content and advertising support, but we also depend strongly on yon, our readers. Our readers have the power to shape and develop the journal's future by helping us to evaluate our product and offer suggestions as to what would be useful in upcoming issues. Therefore, your feedback is crucial, now and always.

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For this reason, in November 2007, an invitation to participate in a bi-annual readership survey was emailed to 2,250 Dermatology Nursing readers. Of those solicited, 398 subscribers completed the online survey before the end of December. The data collected are immensely helpful to our Editor, Marcia Hill, and also to our Editorial Board. The results assist the journal staff in continuing to provide current educational content for our readers. Two key findings should make us all proud: (a) More than 81% of respondents named Dermatology Nursing as the #1 benefit of membership of the Dermatology Nurses' Association; and (b) Over 92% of respondents proclaimed that the journal's content is cutting edge and has been a great benefit to their practice?

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Readership Benefits

As a wonderful testament to the success of Dermatology Nursing, over 90% of respondents declared to have taken some kind of action in the field of nursing after reading the journal. Those who responded discussed topics with others (66%), used the information in patient education (63%), used the information in making patient care decisions (53%), routed items to others (40%), and copied or reprinted articles for others (33%).

Of those who did not select the journal as the first benefit of membership, almost 20% identified the journal as second only to benefits such as networking at the DNA annual conventions and continuing nursing education (CNE) offerings.

Dermatology Nursing subscribers clearly demonstrated that they value the material the journal provides, with 46% acknowledging that they read each issue in its entirety. Another 40% read more than half of each issue, and another 10% read half. Over 74% of readers noted that they keep all copies of the journal indefinitely.

Journal Columns and Content

Survey respondents were given the chance to rank the usefulness and leave written comments regarding each of Dermatology Nursing's regular columns. This feedback will be used by the Editorial Board at their upcoming annual Editorial Board meeting to help select appropriate content as well as shape articles to fit readers' needs. The written comments included detailed suggestions on certain areas to pursue in the future, and those ideas are greatly appreciated. (Marcia will report on the Editorial Board meeting, including our plans to provide readers with free online journal content, in a future issue.)

The most useful columns were "Clinical Snapshot" (90%) and "What's Your Assessment?" (87%). Following close behind were the "Patients' Perspectives" (75%) and "Wound Assessment and Evaluation" (72%) columns. "Dermatology Nursing News" and "Product News" were also ranked high by readers. All columns were declared useful or very useful by the majority of respondents, which is a positive reinforcement to our staff and writers.

Our readers also found that the journal supplement on psoriatic disease provided in October 2007 was quite beneficial. About 84% found the information useful and 87% would recommend it to their colleagues. Overall, 94% of readers pronounced that they would value more educational activities such as this in the future. Dermatology Nursing will deliver two educational supplements in 2008: one on rosacea and another on atopic dermatitis.

The CNE series also received high ratings from Dermatology Nursing readers. The majority (89%) deemed these articles and posttests to be valuable, and more than 51% of respondents also displayed interest in using the posttests for practice in nursing skills alone.

Readers were also asked to rank several subjects regarding the amount of emphasis they should get in the journal in the future. Hot topics included clinical skills, patient education, general dermatology, and aging skin. The majority of responses reflected that there were no areas that needed less emphasis. Other areas of interest to readers include long-term care, plastic and reconstructive surgery, wound care, phototherapy, aesthetics, nursing administration, and lasers.

For a copy of the 2007 Dermatology Nursing readership survey, please send your name, mailing address, and email address to dnjrnl@ajj.com. We'll mail you a free copy of the report following the annual Editorial Board meeting in March.

Katie Brownlow

Editorial Assistant

Katie@ajj.com