This guide is a brief overview of the Practice Integration & Lifelong Learning (PILL) series for authors and reviewers who are new to the series.

A PILL article is a short, instructive case study (five-minute read) that aims to educate general practitioners in Singapore. Writing teams should comprise at least 1 family physician based in Singapore and relevant specialists/nurse practitioners/allied health professionals. There should be no more than 4 authors.

Please refer to our list of published PILL articles to ensure that your topic of interest has not been covered.

Note: As of May 2020, PILL articles no longer have abstracts. However, please include an abstract in your submission for review purposes.

Formatting your article

  1. Begin with a Case Vignette describing a typical primary care consultation. The story presents the scenario and context, introducing clinical questions relevant to the article.

    Example case vignette

     
  2. Have a brief introduction, then explain how common the topic/condition is and how important it is to primary care. Possible headings include “What is ___?”, “How relevant is this to my practice?”, “How common is this in my practice?”, “What can I do in my practice?” and “When should I refer to a specialist?”
     

    • “What is ___?” The key term or disease is described simply in two to three sentences, often in lay language if possible, and should not be a detailed definition or extensive elaboration.

    • “How relevant is this to my practice?” This is where we describe the gravity of the problem and the impact of changing or updating the required practices.

    • “How common is this in my practice?” Here, local prevalence or reported cases are shared.

    • “What can I do in my practice?” This is where we elaborate on the key clinical points. Citations supporting the recommended practices or updates are necessary.

    • “When should I refer to a specialist?” List red flags and referral criteria.


    Example headings

     
  3. Boxes, tables, figures and photographs can be used to summarise and illustrate information (up to a maximum of 5 boxes/tables/figures/photos). Each box/table/figure should have a caption.

    Example box and figure

     
  4. Key points of the article are repeated in Take Home Messages (3–8 points) to summarise good practices.

    Example take home messages

     
  5. The Closing Vignette shows a successful clinical outcomes after 2–3 learning points from the article are implemented.

    Example closing vignette

     
  6. There should be no more than 15 References.
     
  7. Important learning points from the article are repeated in 20 True/False CME questions.

    Example CME questions